The “Mahda” research satellite, along with two research cargos, was successfully sent to space by the homegrown “Simorgh” satellite carrier.
The satellite carrier was launched from the Imam Khomeini National Space Center, situated 80 kilometers southeast of Semnan province.
Manufactured by the Ministry of Defense, Simorgh satellite carrier has put Mahda and the two research cargos into an elliptical earth orbit with the minimum and maximum altitude of 450 km and 1,100 km, respectively.
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Mahda satellite has been designed, manufactured and tested by the Iranian Space Research Center. Weighing 32 kg, its main purpose is to test the satellite-related subsystems, verify the function of Simorgh satellite carrier in dispensing space cargos, and evaluate the performance of new designs and the reliability of indigenous technologies in space.
Simorgh satellite carrier is a two-stage rocket running on liquid fuel. It has a diameter of 2.4 meters and a launch mass of 80 tons. The first generation of the satellite carrier was capable of carrying communications and sensing satellites as heavy as 100 kg to orbits some 500 km above the earth.