By Ivan Kesic
Iran’s space program continues to advance at a remarkable pace, with the forthcoming launch of an upgraded satellite named “Kowsar 1.5.”
It marks a significant technological advancement from its predecessor, the original Kowsar satellite, which was successfully launched into orbit from Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome in November 2024.
Designed and built by Iran’s private aerospace sector, Kowsar 1.5 reflects both the country’s pursuit of technological self-reliance amid international sanctions and its deepening strategic space cooperation with Russia.
Iranian officials first announced the satellite’s development in January 2025, unveiling it later in preparation for a launch scheduled for late August.
What are its technological enhancements and capabilities
The Kowsar 1.5 is not an entirely new platform but a comprehensive upgrade of the original Kowsar satellite, which marked a milestone as Iran’s first satellite with an average ground sample distance (GSD) of 3.45 meters.
The original satellite, a 30-kilogram cubic platform powered by solar panels, was equipped with cameras capturing near-infrared (NIR) and red, green, and blue (RGB) spectra, offering a color imaging range of 15 kilometers and an imaging rate of six frames per second.
The upgraded Kowsar 1.5 retains this core imaging mission, supporting agricultural monitoring, land surveys, and cadaster services, while incorporating critical improvements across multiple subsystems.
Engineers have revised and enhanced the attitude control algorithms to improve orbital stability and pointing accuracy. Additionally, the power supply subsystem has been upgraded, potentially extending the satellite’s operational life beyond the original planned 3.6 years.
Kowsar satellite
Most notably, the communication subsystem has been significantly upgraded to operate across the S, U, and V bands, enhancing data downlink speeds and overall reliability.
A subtle but impactful update to the camera payload hints at improvements in image processing or sensor sensitivity, further refining Kowsar 1.5’s remote sensing capabilities from its 500-kilometer orbital altitude.
How has its development been in the face of sanctions?
The Kowsar satellite program is distinguished by its development within Iran’s private sector, representing a strategic initiative to decentralize and strengthen the national space industry.
The original Kowsar and HodHod satellites were conceived and produced by the Iranian knowledge-based company SpaceOmid, founded in 2018 by Dr. Hossein Shahrabi Farahani, the project manager of the earlier Iranian Omid satellite project.
The company’s mandate is to design and build light and low-priced satellites for low Earth orbit (LEO) while training an elite generation of space industry experts.
According to Hossein Shahabi, the CEO of the aerospace company behind Kowsar 1.5, over 85 percent of the components used in these satellites have been indigenized.
He noted that “even if all the components were imported, the design and construction of these satellites have been carried out entirely by local experts, making this project fully domestic.”
This development takes place against a backdrop of decades of illegal Western sanctions, which have served as a catalyst in turning threats into opportunities and achieving technological self-sufficiency.
Industry figures have explicitly called for continued government support through state guarantees for the space services market and pre-purchase commitments to secure investments for a future constellation of such satellites.
Kowsar testing
How is Iranian-Russian space cooperation shaping up?
The launch mechanism for the Kowsar 1.5 highlights a key aspect of Iran’s current space strategy: international partnership.
Mirroring the launch of the original satellites, the upgraded Kowsar is scheduled to be sent into space this fall aboard a Russian Soyuz launcher.
This continued use of Russian launch services is because Iran’s domestic launch vehicles, like the Qa’em and Simorgh SLVs, are currently reserved for the satellite programs of the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) or the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).
For private sector satellites like Kowsar, a contract was signed with the Russian company Glavkosmos back in 2020.
This partnership testifies to the deepening of Iranian-Russian space cooperation that has been ongoing for almost two decades since the launch of Iran’s first satellite, Sina-1, on a Russian rocket in 2005.
Iran was the only foreign participant in the Soyuz launch that carried the first Kowsar and HodHod, a position that underscores the strategic nature of this partnership.
This cooperation provides Iran with access to orbit for its satellites while offering Russia a partner in a geopolitically significant region, as both nations navigate a complex relationship with the West.
The successful launch and operation of Kowsar 1.5 will serve as another data point in this long-standing and strategically important technological alliance.