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Iranian Space program

Problem with LEO for recon sites is satellite moves across the earth in orbit. So you are at mercy of the orbit.

GEO is better since you stationary or I should say one with the Earth’s orbit and can focus on segment of the earth (ie Middle East) allowing real time recon updates.

Iran should first establish its geo recon sats. LEO sats are more non time sensitive surveillance or as you pointed out great image quality (assuming the camera or imaging device is sufficient).

Also easier to “blind” a LEO sat with laser. Iran has done it to US spy sat before.

New satellites have anti Laser capabilities and blinding satellites is getting more and more difficult.

As you said you will need multiple Leo satellites since the closer you are to earth, the more you orbit the earth each day like 5-10 times per day.
 
Problem with LEO for recon sites is satellite moves across the earth in orbit. So you are at mercy of the orbit.

GEO is better since you stationary or I should say one with the Earth’s orbit and can focus on segment of the earth (ie Middle East) allowing real time recon updates.

Iran should first establish its geo recon sats. LEO sats are more non time sensitive surveillance or as you pointed out great image quality (assuming the camera or imaging device is sufficient).

Also easier to “blind” a LEO sat with laser. Iran has done it to US spy sat before.
you see there is just one small problem Geosynchronous (GEO) and geostationary (GSO) satellites are at the mere altitude of 35876km
that altitude is the border of MEO (Medium Earth orbit) and HEO (High Earth orbit) are you aware of any Observational or Remote sensing satellite at that altitude ?
GPS satellites are at a SSO (Semi Synchronous orbit ) which is 20350km but they are not remote sensing satellites the rest are at an altitude around 300-1500km Orbitalaltitudes.jpg
 
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Khayam is a Kanpous-V satellite

They look like this

On all the images of the Khayyam sattelite (aka "Project 505 in Russian documents) , both from the Russian and the Iranian sides, such a silhouette is shown:
There are suggestions that the installation of new Russian remote sensing telescope with resolution around 1-1,1 meter turned out to be impossible on the basis of Kanopus-V, therefore the Russian VNIIEM, in agreement with the Iranian side, made the new satellite platform. Some Western researchers believe that a satellite platform was used there, which was being developed for a new Russian military satellite, but this is all only suggestions.
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On all the images of the Khayyam sattelite (aka "Project 505 in Russian documents) , both from the Russian and the Iranian sides, such a silhouette is shown:
There are suggestions that the installation of new Russian remote sensing telescope with resolution around 1-1,1 meter turned out to be impossible on the basis of Kanopus-V, therefore the Russian VNIIEM, in agreement with the Iranian side, made the new satellite platform. Some Western researchers believe that a satellite platform was used there, which was being developed for a new Russian military satellite, but this is all only suggestions.
View attachment 869729View attachment 869730View attachment 869731

You don’t build a military sat in 2022 in 1.1 visible band. Even commercial sats are 20-30 cm now let alone with SAR. So if Russia was going to build a satellite from scratch the capabilities would be much more robust in this day and age. Hence why I’m skeptical of this was Project 505. It could be future sat line they plan to jointly build will be based on Project 505.

Original Kanpous V had 2.3 resolution but that was also with 2000-2005 tech. So reaching 1.1 wouldn’t require a complete redesign by any means given miniaturization since then.

When the preliminary agreement on the Russian-Iranian satellite was signed in August 2015, VNIIEM’s director Makridenko said it would be based on the Kanopus-V satellite. However, Kanopus-V looks significantly different from the Project 505 satellite seen in the NPK Barl slides.
 
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Is it possible that the publicized 1 meter resolution is a delibrate mis info and the real res is "classified".
 
Is it possible that the publicized 1 meter resolution is a delibrate mis info and the real res is "classified".

I suppose anything is possible. But I don’t see Russia handing Iran any highly advanced tech based on our relations up to this point.

.75-1.1 meter resolution is easy to share since Iran is capable of that level or soon will be. Plus it lags civilian sector tech quite a bit. Even then Western media made a big hoopla about it being a “spy” satellite. I guess anything could be a spy satellite if it has imaging capabilities.
 
Minister of Communications and Information Technology:
We are at the beginning of the journey and we can still put a 50 kg satellite in 500km orbit, and God willing, in the next few weeks we will test a new satellite carrier that can put up to 100 kg in orbit, and by the end of the government we will reach 500 and 600 kg

Referring to the international cooperation and the launch of the Khayyam satellite, Zarepour said: it's an honor that we were able to be beside the world's top specialists, and we agreed to produce Khayyam 2, 3 and 4 satellites domestically.'


Stating that Iran's space cycle is admirable, he noted: During my recent trip to Russia, the hardware products produced by the Islamic Republic of Iran were favored by Russian companies, and it's an honor.


3 weeks to next test launch.
 
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And soon tests with the Drone Gaza which is a very advanced Texchnologically Drone. It will work with an Iranian satellite. Let us be alert in the synchronocity of events:azn:
 
Minister of Communications and Information Technology:
We are at the beginning of the journey and we can still put a 50 kg satellite in 500km orbit, and God willing, in the next few weeks we will test a new satellite carrier that can put up to 100 kg in orbit, and by the end of the government we will reach 500 and 600 kg

Referring to the international cooperation and the launch of the Khayyam satellite, Zarepour said: it's an honor that we were able to be beside the world's top specialists, and we agreed to produce Khayyam 2, 3 and 4 satellites domestically.'


Stating that Iran's space cycle is admirable, he noted: During my recent trip to Russia, the hardware products produced by the Islamic Republic of Iran were favored by Russian companies, and it's an honor.


3 weeks to next test launch.
The tech transfer and joint production is a absolutely huge deal for Iranian military. Even 1m is still very useful.
 
Minister of Communications and Information Technology:
We are at the beginning of the journey and we can still put a 50 kg satellite in 500km orbit, and God willing, in the next few weeks we will test a new satellite carrier that can put up to 100 kg in orbit, and by the end of the government we will reach 500 and 600 kg

Referring to the international cooperation and the launch of the Khayyam satellite, Zarepour said: it's an honor that we were able to be beside the world's top specialists, and we agreed to produce Khayyam 2, 3 and 4 satellites domestically.'


Stating that Iran's space cycle is admirable, he noted: During my recent trip to Russia, the hardware products produced by the Islamic Republic of Iran were favored by Russian companies, and it's an honor.


3 weeks to next test launch.
he can't like normal people say we want test Zu-al-Jinah again and this time we want send a dummy payload into orbit.
by the way Zu-al-Jinah probably replace Qased for emergent sending of payload into LEO . but if they want really send meaningful satellite into LEO simorgh is the way to go , they just need to figure out whats the problem with the second stage
 
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he can't like normal people say we want test Zu-al-Jinah again and this time we want send a dummy payload into orbit.
by the way Zu-al-Jinah probably replace Qased for emergent sending of payload into LEO . but if they want really send meaningful satellite into LEO simorgh is the way to go , they just need to figure out whats the problem with the second stage

Simorgh is terrible design. 4 cluster Shahab engines = > too much can go wrong => underpowered => can’t reach velocity for insertion....that’s the problem.

It’s same problem that plagued Safir. Not powerful enough. System being pushed beyond limit.

Qased is 2 for 2. Successful design.

Zul-janah we have to wait for final verdict. Looks promising, but all these dummy payloads make you wonder why they didn’t do this with Simorgh.

He always said 500kg satellite will take 3 years to launch with own SLV. Which tells me Soroush or whatever Safir-3 is called is still not close to launch ready. 3 years by ISA means 5-6 years in reality.

IRGC will launch 500kg satellite before ISA does.

IRGC will launch all solid fuel Qased then Qaem final version. And the massive engines at Sharoud are for IRGC only.
 
Simorgh is terrible design. 4 cluster Shahab engines = > too much can go wrong => underpowered => can’t reach velocity for insertion....that’s the problem.
my understanding is first stage is working as it expected , its the second stage that come short.
there is no doubt its under-powered but it still is the most powerful we have , and for heavy launch we need LOX and that fall under a liquid fuel SLV program.
It’s same problem that plagued Safir. Not powerful enough. System being pushed beyond limit.
honestly safir had some serious reliability problem not have not problem to produce enough power.
2012 exploded on pad , 2019 immaturely turned off , 2019 exploded on pad . while simorgh problem lie in second stage that it become better with each launch but still is not where it must be.
2017 burned for 136s second stage didn't activated , 2019 burned for 455s . 2020 burned for 475s reached speed of 6500m/s, 2021 burned for 600s (500s second stage) reached speed of 7350m/s

it needs to reach 7600m/s
the first stage that is 4x Safir-1b first stage engine work as it should , on the other hand the second stage which is 4x safir second stage engine have problem

Qased is 2 for 2. Successful design.
the problem is its carrying capability , not its reliability , they wanted a road mobile system so they have to obey some guide-line about its size

Zul-janah we have to wait for final verdict. Looks promising, but all these dummy payloads make you wonder why they didn’t do this with Simorgh.
good question . but be honest the satellite we lost in its previous launches were nothing to worry about , they did't had that much capabilities and are replaceable in no time if we really want . many of them were just some student work many were old
 
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IRGC will launch 500kg satellite before ISA does.
don't knew the best they have is Zo-al-Jinah and that rated for around 200kg to leo.
simorgh is 250kg to 500km and 800kg to 200km so it depend if they can fix the problem with simorgh second stage or change it to for example 100kg to 500km and 500kg to 200km

IRGC will launch all solid fuel Qased then Qaem final version. And the massive engines at Sharoud are for IRGC only.
that we don\t knew exactly for what purpose they want to use it , but you must consider the fact that all the SLV of space agency are delivered by defense ministry , they don't make their own SLV
 

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