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4d ago

Russian Soyuz Rocket Puts Iran’s Nahid-2 Satellite into Orbit

Under a January 2025 partnership treaty, Moscow backed Tehran’s domestically built Nahid-2 to deepen space cooperation despite Western dual-use concerns.

A Soyuz rocket launches from Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russian far east with a cargo including an Iranian telecommunications satellite.
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Russia sent two Ionosfera-M satellites into orbit on July 25, 2025, via Soyuz-2.1b from Vostochny

Overview

  • Roscosmos said a Soyuz-2.1b rocket lifted off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome and placed 20 satellites into orbit, including Iran’s Nahid-2.
  • Nahid-2 is a 110 kg communications satellite designed and built by Iranian engineers to operate at 500 km for a planned two-year service life.
  • The mission also deployed two Russian Ionosphere-M Earth-observation probes and 17 smaller satellite payloads for imaging and space-weather monitoring.
  • It follows prior Russian launches of Iranian satellites such as Pars-1 in February 2024 and the privately built Kowsar and Hodhod in November 2024.
  • Western governments have warned that Iran’s space program advances could bolster its ballistic missile capabilities as nuclear talks resume in Istanbul.