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Iranian Space program

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Nahid-1 is due to be launched by Qaem-100 this Iranian year (i.e. by March 21 or so), right?

Do we know when the next Zoljanah/Simorgh launches are scheduled for? I know that the first (presumably test) launch of Qaem-105 (estimated payload 200kg to 500km LEO) is scheduled for the next Iranian year (i.e. by March 2024).
 
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SpaceX Falcon 9 has a 22,800 kg payload in LEO and costs $60 million.
It is 228 times more capable than the 100 kg payload of the qaem100 and costs only $260,000 per 100 kg, which is slightly less than two HIMARS rockets.
So he launched a crazy number of small satellites into LEO and quickly took over space.
I hope that Iran will stop its obsession with GEO, which has not been successful, and move on to the development of a solid rocket that can launch many small satellites into LEO at the same time.
How much more useful would 100 communication and spy satellites in LEO be for industry and security than one large GEO satellite that is only useful for large weather observations?
 
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SpaceX Falcon 9 has a 22,800 kg payload in LEO and costs $60 million.
It is 228 times more capable than the 100 kg payload of the qaem100 and costs only $260,000 per 100 kg, which is slightly less than two HIMARS rockets.
So he launched a crazy number of small satellites into LEO and quickly took over space.
I hope that Iran will stop its obsession with GEO, which has not been successful, and move on to the development of a solid rocket that can launch many small satellites into LEO at the same time.
How much more useful would 100 communication and spy satellites in LEO be for industry and security than one large GEO satellite that is only useful for large weather observations?

I would like to argue that it is not necessarily true that a large GEO satellite is only useful for weather observations. There are many other applications where a large satellite in a higher orbit can be very useful, such as remote sensing, Earth observation, and military surveillance. Furthermore, it is not an either-or situation between a large GEO satellite and a constellation of small satellites in LEO. In fact, both types of satellites can complement each other to provide a comprehensive coverage of the Earth.

In addition, while LEO satellites have certain advantages such as low latency and high bandwidth, they also have their limitations, such as shorter lifetimes and lower coverage areas. It really depends on the specific mission requirements and needs to determine which orbit is more suitable.


GEO satellites are positioned at a fixed point relative to the Earth's rotation, allowing them to cover a specific geographic area continuously. This makes them particularly useful for applications that require persistent coverage, such as weather monitoring and forecasting, as well as broadcasting and satellite-based navigation systems.

Another important application of GEO satellites is in military surveillance and communication. Military operations often require real-time communication and intelligence gathering, which can be facilitated by the high data rates and coverage provided by GEO satellites. For example, the US Air Force's Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) system is comprised of a constellation of GEO satellites that provide secure communication links for military forces around the world.

In addition, GEO satellites are also used in remote sensing and Earth observation applications. For instance, NASA's GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) series of satellites provide continuous monitoring of weather patterns, natural disasters, and climate changes from their vantage point in GEO.

Furthermore, GEO satellites are often preferred over LEO (low Earth orbit) satellites in applications that require high-resolution imaging, such as in the case of spy satellites. The longer dwell time of a GEO satellite over a specific area allows for more detailed imaging and analysis.
 
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I hope that Iran will stop its obsession with GEO, which has not been successful, and move on to the development of a solid rocket that can launch many small satellites into LEO at the same time.
Appears that both is needed. Although I'd argue the constellation of sats in LEO is more important for the medium term, while GEO should still be considered into the very long term.

You can always have the future Ghaem-120 to act as dispenser for several LEO SATs or a single GEO Sat.
 
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Appears that both is needed. Although I'd argue the constellation of sats in LEO is more important for the medium term, while GEO should still be considered into the very long term.

You can always have the future Ghaem-120 to act as dispenser for several LEO SATs or a single GEO Sat.
I recall Sardar Hajizadeh also stated, that in 1-2 the launch SLVs will be like a Tsumani, as probably by then a Ghaem-105 SLV with 200kg capacity to LEO would be ready, which would be a robust carrier for this amount of cargo.
 
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Which SLV do we think will first place a 150-200kg class satellite into 500km LEO?
  • Simorgh
  • Zoljanah
  • Qaem-105
Simorgh appears to be one launch away from success but is also the most complex and expensive design (and the least reliable/successful to date). The next launch appears to be quite close.

Zoljanah is not an advanced design by any means but simpler and smaller than Simorgh. Unclear if it needs 1-2 more suborbital test launches first (and unclear if the last launch was a success or not - some reports indicated it exploded).

Qaem-105 is scheduled for its first test launch by March 2024 so if everything progresses well it should be ready for orbital launches by the end of 2024. Qaem-100 orbital launch is supposed to take place any day now (80kg payload to 500km LEO) - if that is successful then we can expect a swift move to Qaem-105 development by the IRGC.
 
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Which SLV do we think will first place a 150-200kg class satellite into 500km LEO?
  • Simorgh
  • Zoljanah
  • Qaem-105
Simorgh appears to be one launch away from success but is also the most complex and expensive design (and the least reliable/successful to date). The next launch appears to be quite close.

Zoljanah is not an advanced design by any means but simpler and smaller than Simorgh. Unclear if it needs 1-2 more suborbital test launches first (and unclear if the last launch was a success or not - some reports indicated it exploded).

Qaem-105 is scheduled for its first test launch by March 2024 so if everything progresses well it should be ready for orbital launches by the end of 2024. Qaem-100 orbital launch is supposed to take place any day now (80kg payload to 500km LEO) - if that is successful then we can expect a swift move to Qaem-105 development by the IRGC.
Qaem-105. Not only it will happen faster but it will be more reliable. alot of these Space agency projects are years behind in SLV tech compared to the IRGC-ASF, which has a very successful track record.
 
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