Overview
- A Russian Soyuz rocket from Vostochny placed Iran’s Paya, Zafar‑2 and Kowsar 1.5 into low Earth orbit at roughly 500 kilometers on Dec. 28, according to Iranian state media.
- Paya weighs about 150 kilograms and is described by Iran as its most advanced domestically built imaging satellite, using artificial intelligence to enhance image resolution for Earth observation tasks.
- Officials said the satellites support civilian uses such as water‑resource management, agriculture, environmental monitoring and disaster response, with state media reporting image resolution up to 3 meters and service lives up to five years.
- Iranian outlets credited design and build work to private firms and universities, and IRNA reporting cited by NDTV said Paya was developed by Iran Electronics Industries, a Ministry of Defense subsidiary.
- The mission continues Russia’s role in Iran’s orbital access after a July launch of Nahid‑2, while the United States maintains that such activities contravene a UN resolution and pose dual‑use missile concerns.