The Iranian embassy in Russia has announced that two Iranian satellites are to be launched on Monday night using a Russian Soyuz rocket, amid a strengthening alliance between Moscow and Tehran.
A statement from the embassy said that "within the framework of developing scientific and technological cooperation between Iran and Russia, two Iranian satellites, Kowsar and Hodhod, will be placed in an orbit 500 kilometres above the Earth on Tuesday, November 5, at 02:48 Tehran time (Monday, 23:18 GMT) using a Soyuz rocket".
The embassy considered this to be "a firm and decisive first step (...) towards the entry of the private sector in the Islamic Republic into the space sector". In the statement published on its Telegram account, the embassy did not specify which space station the rocket would be launched from.
According to the website of the company that manufactures them, Omidfaza, the satellites will be used in the fields of agriculture, transport, environment and mapping.
Soyuz rockets have launched several satellites for Iran over the past year, but this is the first time such a launch has been organised by the Iranian private sector.
Iran insists its aerospace activities are peaceful and in line with a UN Security Council resolution.
However, Western governments fear that Iran could be using technology that it shares with those used in ballistic missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
At the recent BRICS summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, and praised the 'growing' bilateral relationship, adding that he wanted to 'consolidate the emerging positive dynamics in trade and economic cooperation' between the two countries.
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