Iranreceivesfirstimage sent by Navid satellite | ||
Iran received the first image sent by the domestically manufactured research satellite called Navid-e Elm and San’at (Promise of Science and Technology) on February 8. The new domestically manufactured satellite was launched into orbit in early February. The research satellite, called Navid-e Elm and San’at (Promise of Science and Technology), has been manufactured by Iran University of Science and Technology. It was sent into space aboard the Safir rocket. The satellite was launched on the National Space Technology Day and the third day of the Ten-Day Dawn (Feb. 1-Feb. 11), which is a national celebration of the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. The satellite is designed to collect data on weather conditions and monitor for natural disasters. It has advanced control technology, a higher resolution camera, and photocells to generate power. The satellite weighs about 50 kilograms and would orbit the earth at an altitude of up to 375 kilometers, circling the planet 15 times a day. “This achievement shows that our universities are moving in the right direction,” President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said at the ceremony, during which the satellite was launched. “The Navid-e Elm and San’at satellite is a great achievement and is the result of enormous and strenuous efforts made by Iranian experts, scientists, and innovators,” he said. Ahmadinejad also announced that two more domestically designed satellites dubbed Fajr (Dawn) and Tolou (Sunrise) will be sent into space during the next Iranian calendar year, which starts on March 20. Iran launched its first domestically manufactured satellite, called Omid (Hope), into orbit on February 2, 2009. The Rasad (Observation) satellite was also sent into space on June 17, 2011. Director of Iran Space Agency Hamid Fazeli said that using the upgraded Safir satellite carrier rocket to launch the Navid (Promise) research satellite into orbit was a great scientific achievement for the Islamic Republic. He said that the Safir B1 rocket enjoys more propulsion power compared to its predecessor, the Safir A1, and could put into orbit the Navid satellite which weighs twice as heavy as previous domestically manufactured satellites. Meanwhile, Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi anounced that Iran plans to launch new generation of domestically manufactured satellites in the near future. Iran plans to launch Kavoshgar 5 (Explorer 5) satellite carrying a life capsule into space in the near future with 5 monkeys onboard, director of the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) has announced. Hamid Fazeli said Kavoshgar 5 is to carry living creatures including Rhesus monkey. In February 2007, Iran joined 8 space club member states which are capable of building and launching satellites, he noted. Director of Iran Space Agency Hamid Fazeli also announced that the Islamic Republic plans to build a civil satellite launch center. The center will be established with the cooperation of the Defense Ministry, he told IRNA. The most suitable location to build the center is southeastern area of the country since its population is not high and is close to the Indian Ocean, Fazeli added. Iran has also progressed in the field of electronic warfare. Iran unveiled three new types of electronic warfare (EW) equipment – an EW simulator, a radar system tester (RST), and a satellite jamming system – in October 2011. All of the new equipment has been designed and manufactured by Iranian engineers. The EW Simulator is a training simulator to train the radar operators in EW operations. It covers EW operations of non-com segment. It simulates the features of all the types of land based radar sensors. The RST is a reliable and convenient test tool for analyzing, maintaining and repairing of a long line of equipment attached to a radar. Farzad Ismaili, the commander of the Khatam-ol-Anbiya military base, said electronic warfare is one of the most important areas with regard to anti-aircraft systems and Iran has the highest level of the technology in the region. Ismaili said that Iran is now capable of jamming satellites used for military and spying purposes. Iran can also redirect military and espionage satellites, he added. It is essential that Iran identify the enemy’s capabilities in this regard and design effective electronic defensive systems, he opined. | ||
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