The Iranian government has unveiled its enhanced Kowsar-2 satellite in the presence of the Deputy Minister and Head of the Iranian Space Agency, Hassan Salarieh.
The Kowsar-2, the first observation satellite built by Iran’s private sector, will combine the missions of Kowsar-1 and Hodhod with applications in remote sensing, Internet of Things (IoT), precision agriculture and mapping.
Confirming the second model of the satellite, Salarieh said that it will be launched into orbit in the coming months. “The launch schedule is influenced by coordination with other payloads on the Soyuz rocket, “He added.
He further said any delay in preparation of those payloads can postpone the entire launch, but our planning is to launch Kowsar-2 this year.
The second version includes upgrades in imaging and telecommunications payloads, as well as in data management codes and algorithms reflecting advances drawn from the first mission, he added.
Highlighting the public-private partnership in Iranian Space technology, he said, “As per Iran’s 10-year roadmap and the seventh development plan, multiple satellites will be developed and launched with the private sector’s involvement.”
The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology will expand private-sector activity in the space industry, he added.
New tenders will soon be announced to hand over more projects to Iranian private firms, providing both a market and guaranteed purchases to encourage growth, he confirmed.
