Iran's First GEO Imaging Satellite

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Iran's First GEO Remote Sensing Satellite

First edited 17 September 2019; Updated 17 September 2019

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. First Disclosure of Iran's GEO Remote Sensing Satellite

3. Iran's Adaptive Optics

4. Iran's Orbital Telescope

5. Iran's GEO Space Launcher: Safir-3A/C

6. Iran's Heavy GEO Space Launcher: Safir-4


1. Introduction


The 4.6 ton Gaofen 4, the world's most powerful GEO imaging satellite, was launched on December 28, 2015 from Xichang in China, on a CZ-3B rocket, to a geosynchronous orbit above the Earth.

The GEO orbit of Gaofen 4 means that it can maintain continuous coverage of Chinese territory and surrounding areas. It's also the most powerful GEO satellite, good enough to track aircraft carriers in near real time from space.

GEO satellites constantly stay above a patch of Earth, thus providing constant 24 hour surveillance of a geographic area. By contrast, low earth orbit (LEO) satellites such as the U.S. KH-11 spy satellites are closer to the Earth, so their speed exceeds that of the Earth's rotation (meaning that they cannot maintain continuous surveillance over specific locations). In the Gaofen 4's case, its range of view is a 7,000km by 7,000km box of 49 million square kilometers of Asian land and water in and around China.

The Gaofen 4 is the world's most powerful GEO spy satellite. It has a color image resolution of slightly less than 50 meters (which is enough to track aircraft carriers by their wake at sea) and a thermal imaging resolution of 400m (good for spotting forest fires). It may also have a lower resolution video streaming capacity. Because of its round-the-clock coverage of Chinese territory and near aboard, Gaofen 4 can provide instant coverage of earthquake or typhoon hit areas to support humanitarian relief. It will also allow China to monitor strategic foreign sites such as WMD facilities and naval bases inside its observation box.

As a high orbiting GEO satellite, the Gaofen 4 would be very difficult to attack with anti-satellite weapons.

http://web.archive.org/web/20190917...aws.com/public/WXBXVOS4ETHZLMTKA5SOFLJHWM.jpg
▲ 1. Gaofen 4 GEO Orbit.

http://web.archive.org/web/20190914...ntinues-chinas-great-leap-forward-into-space/


2. First Disclosure of Iran's GEO Remote Sensing Satellite

Putting 'sensing satellite' into orbit of 36,000 kms on agenda

Sep 14, 2019, 5:34 PM

Khorramabad, Sept 14, IRNA - The head of Iran's Space Agency Morteza Barari said on Saturday that the launch of a sensing satellite in the orbit of 36,000 kilometers is on the agenda and three Iranian satellites will be ready to carry out the mission.

Morteza Barari met with faculty and top startups in the province of Lorestan province on Saturday, and noted that the Islamic Republic of Iran has reached a full cycle of space technology with the efforts of its youth, despite 40 years of sanctions.
...

http://web.archive.org/web/20190914...-satellite-into-orbit-of-36-000-kms-on-agenda
http://archive.is/Zbfff
​

3. Iran's Adaptive Optics

Iran has disclosed discussion on a 3 meter Class Telescope with Adaptive Optics for its National Observatory Program (2011).


4. Iran's Orbital Telescope

The Iranian Space Research Center's Orbital Telescope is a project in its early stages. The feasibility and needs assessment study of this project was carried out.

http://web.archive.org/web/20190805150156if_/http://ipic.su/img/img7/fs/image17.1565017296.jpg ; https://archive.fo/Hgfzf/1ae8342e4b2a9782018bbaac9ccad4485aec46a6.jpg ; https://isrc.ac.ir/getattachment/پژوهشکده-ها/مرکز-فضایی-ایران/image17.jpg ; https://isrc.ac.ir/en-US/پژوهشکده-ها/مرکز-فضایی-ایران ; http://archive.fo/T9L7L
▲ 2. Iran's Orbital Telescope.

5. Iran's GEO Space Launcher: Safir-3A/C


Iran's Communication Satellite Developing Plan 2026 of the Iranian Space Research Center (I.S.R.C.) has revealed its future space launcher's payload capabilities:

• Nahid-1, 50 Kg, LEO, Safir-1 SLV
• Nahid-2, < 100 Kg, LEO, Safir-2 SLV
• IRANSAT-1, 1 ton, GEO, Safir-3A SLV
• IRANSAT-2, 3 tons, GEO, Safir-3C SLV

http://web.archive.org/web/20190801104910if_/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DVw4DqgXUAEOXQg.jpg ; https://archive.fo/TVRNZ/e148f10050430ae9d3e72e3606acc85cb88610a6.jpg ; https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DVw4DqgXUAEOXQg.jpg:large
▲ 3. Iran's roadmap for communication satellites. From official presentation of the Iranian Space Research Center.


6. Iran's Heavy GEO Space Launcher: Safir-4


The existence of an even more powerful heavy space launcher, able to place 20 tons into LEO, has also been revealed, the Safir-4.

An Iranian version of the North Korean Heavy-Lift Space Launcher Unha-20 has figured prominently in a huge graphic that was displayed during January 2019 in Tehran's Valiasr Square. The billboard was running in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution.

http://web.archive.org/web/20190322040402if_/http://ipic.su/img/img7/fs/proxy_006.1553224298.jpg ; https://archive.fo/LlgII/ff65c5e613f4e6fa6117675b60d31c2b1e1ec5e1.jpg ; http://imagesvc.timeincapp.com/v3/f...es.wordpress.com/2019/01/ddacv.jpg?quality=85 ; https://media.mehrnews.com/d/2019/01/05/4/3004791.jpg; https://www.mehrnews.com/news/4504592/رونمایی-از-جدیدترین-دیوارنگاره-میدان-ولیعصر-با-موضوع-جوانان ; رونمایی از جدیدترین دیوارنگاره میدان ولیعصر با موضوع جوانان ;
▲ 4. 17 January 2019. Note that Shahid Hajj General Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, the father of Iran's space program is depicted bringing a treasure trove of [North Korean] blueprints to his fellow countrymen!


Below the North Korean equivalent of the Safir-3A (Unha-9) and Safir-4 (Unha-20):

http://web.archive.org/web/20190324234320if_/https://i.imgur.com/YJeN7HI.jpg ; https://archive.fo/8MUj0/5746e1eeabd68c89d76db3e1acc6dd6bb97af820.jpg ; https://defence.pk/pdf/attachments/...7/?temp_hash=70fc9b1656a500388ff26bb0f6ad1834
▲ 5. Artistic representation of the North Korean Unha launchers family, 2019. Outdated as of Mid-February 2019.

 

[Rafi]

Well done Iran, great achievement. On behalf of Pakistan a salute.

 

[SOHEIL]

Well done Iran, great achievement. On behalf of Pakistan a salute.

Galactic Penguin SST is an idiot ... Pure BS !

Probably one of those guys abused by me and wants to take revenge like this:

 

[Chanakyaa]

That will be a Huge Achivement.
Kuddos !

 

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Sun / 26 January 2020 / 14:32

Tehran, Jan 26, IRNA - Minister of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) said on Sunday that Iran has got six satellites ready to put into orbit.

Mohammad-Javad Azari-Jahromi said:

Amir Kabir University has started the production of a geometric [geosynchronous] satellite with one-meter precision [imaging ground resolution] as of today. It is unique. This time you select a name for the satellite,”

https://en.irna.ir/news/83648264/Iran-makes-six-satellites-to-put-into-orbit
https://en.isna.ir/news/98110604145/6-satellites-ready-to-put-into-orbit-Iran-s-ICT-Minister
http://archive.ph/bcGZu
http://archive.is/2RoTW


Seemingly to be placed into GSTO with the new Sourosh solid propellant launcher of 4 meter diameter!

 

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Iran's Sapfir-Persona-class Advanced Imaging Satellite

First image leaked from the future Sapfir-Persona-class Advanced Imaging Satellite.

https://archive.is/mGt9J/76c6fdeab79247ee24cabe2625836a50cd527d67.jpg ; https://archive.is/mGt9J/8556979c9ba04d96b3d1f7e771a308baceb0bfce/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20200508122954/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EXDw6R0XgAISrjK?format=jpg&name=large ; https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EXDw6R0XgAISrjK?format=jpg&name=large ; https://twitter.com/SEPAHCYBERY/status/1256769198828773378
▲ 1. First clue at the future Iranian Sapfir-Persona-class Advanced Imaging Satellite. @SEPAHCYBERY May 3, 2020

Origin of the Persona project

The Persona satellite, which also reported to be known as Kvarts (Quartz), traces its roots to the Sapfir project first proposed by TsSKB Progress in 1979. In the course of the project development, the Sapfir (sapphire) was envisioned as a 16-ton spacecraft that would be deployed and possibly serviced in orbit by cosmonauts of the Buran reusable space plane.

A full-scale development of Sapfir at TsSKB Progress was authorized in 1983. At the time, the first launch of the 14-ton vehicle was projected for 1986 on the Zenit or Proton rocket. Sapfir would transmit imagery to the ground via a special data-relay satellite. Designated Sapfir-V, where "V" stands for vysoko-orbitalny, or high-orbital, Sapfir would be orbiting the Earth in the elliptical orbit climbing as high as 10,000-20,000 kilometers to obtain imagery of very wide areas, but at lower resolution than one-meter details discernable from the Araks-N satellite, which would be deployed in lower orbit.

Sapfir-V's orbits were designed to let satellites stay within view of the area of interest up to 20 minutes at a time transmitting live imagery, as it climbed toward and descended from the high point of its orbit and followed by a quick swing around low point of its orbit positioned on the opposite side of the globe. Military planners expected Sapfir-V to focus on the European region watching the main Cold War frontier between the West and the East.

In 1992, Sapfir was expected to be joined by a radar-carrying surveillance satellite capable of all-weather observations of the Earth surface.

By 1990, the LOMO company in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) finally assembled the first flight version of a powerful 17V321 optical telescope for the Sapfir satellite and worked on two follow-on systems. The 1.5-meter main mirror of the telescope was manufactured at the Lytkarin Plant of Optical Glass, LZOS.

Imaging swath: 1,300 kilometers
Image resolution: 0.5 meters
Imaging productivity: 250 (targets?) a day
Projected life span: 3-5 years
Imaging telescope: An upgrade of LOMO 17V321 (1.5-meter diameter main mirror)
Spacecraft mass: 7-8 tons (?)
Orbital inclination: 98.3 degrees toward the Equator

http://www.russianspaceweb.com/persona.html

https://archive.vn/PILcq/3e8cb02b43670efe6bc7d965692837fa468199b2.jpg ; https://archive.vn/PILcq/5b82c34a51a429450d7f5b3d78f5ea2068fbe71f/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20200508...a-3-spy-satellite-lifts-off38881435070808.jpg ; http://web.archive.org/web/20200508124903/https://sen.com/news/persona-3-spy-satellite-lifts-off ; https://archive.vn/dGcZh
▲ 2. Persona-3 reconnaissance satellite.

A Soyuz-2-1b rocket lifted off from Pad 4 at Site 43 in Plesetsk around 800 km north of the Russian capital at 19:44 Moscow Time, on 24th June 2015 to place the 7-ton spacecraft powerful telescope into orbit.

For Iran, only the Safir-4 (Soroush-C) SLV can place such payload into orbit.

http://archive.is/Niz3N/d77f7f62b227ecddcbbc36bc852baf0e640e2039.jpg ; https://archive.is/Niz3N/caf2442ef373cd749dc8f0b55b9775a9b8e0781c/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20200209135856/https://i.imgur.com/FzyjwiL.jpg
▲ 3. Safir SLV family speculation, as of February 2020.

 

[Philosopher]

All we have so far is just an image, without having some actual confirmation such a project exists, then I would not jump to any exciting conclusions.

 

[Shawnee]

Galactic Penguin SST is an idiot ... Pure BS !

Probably one of those guys abused by me and wants to take revenge like this:
View attachment 579744

Galactic Penguin SST is an idiot ... Pure BS !

Probably one of those guys abused by me and wants to take revenge like this:
View attachment 579744

Harfi ke injaa zadi doros bood. Posthaa shebhe elmi va bachegaanast. Kolle harfaaye in taraf ine ke barnaameye fazaayie maa donbaaleye kore shomaalie.