Iranian Khayyam satellite was put into orbit from the Russia-operated Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, marking what Iran described as the start of “strategic” aerospace collaboration between Tehran and Moscow.
Outfitted with a Fregat upper stage, Khayyam satellite was sent into space onboard Soyuz rocket, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
First telemetry data from the satellite was received at the Iranian Space Agency’s Mahdasht space base, IRNA reported.
Telemetry is the collection of measurements and onboard instrument readings required to deduce the health and status of subsystems on the satellite.
Saeed Seddiqian, an official with ISA, said the satellite launch has been successful so far and that researchers in Iran have been waiting to receive signals.
The satellite was planned to be placed in an orbit of 500 kilometers above the Earth’s surface. It will send high-resolution images four times a day.
Imagery from Khayyam will be used to monitor Iran’s borders and improve the country’s capabilities in management and planning in the fields of agriculture, natural resources, environment, mining, and natural disasters.
In a Sunday statement, the ISA denied reports claiming that Moscow might maintain control of the satellite temporarily to use it in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The statement said the Khayyam satellite will be fully controlled by Iranian experts and technicians based in Iran from the very beginning of its launch.
It added that it is impossible for any country or entity to access the satellite other than Iran because it is equipped with encrypted algorithms designed by ISA’s researchers.
