Iran to Launch 3 New Satellites with More Powerful Launchers

In this undated photo provided by the Iranian Defense Ministry on Friday, June 17, 2011, technicians work on a locally manufactured satellite called Rasad. 

Image courtesy Iranian Defense Ministry.

Iran is preparing to launch three new locally made satellites to the orbit, Fars News Agency reported citing the Deputy Head of the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) Hamid Fazeli.

Tehran is preparing to orbit three new home-made satellites, called Zafar (Triumph), Tolou (Sunrise) and Pars, from more powerful launchers and on the back of bigger carriers in the near future, an official announced on Saturday. 

Credit: Fars News Agency

Deputy Head of Iran Space Agency (ISA) Hamid Fazeli made the announcement on the sidelines of a ceremony at the start of the World Space Week in Tehran today.

"Launching the under-construction satellites, including Sharifsat and Nahid, are also among the short-term plans of the ISA," he added.

Also, Iranian Vice-President for Executive Affairs Mohammad Shariatmadari told reporters in the same ceremony that Iran hopes that its Sharifsat satellite would be sent into orbit this year.

Fazeli had announced in May that Iran plans to launch three home-made monitoring satellites into orbit in the next Iranian calendar year (March 2015-March 2016).

"Zafar, Tolou and AUT Sat will be sent into space onboard the Simorq satellite carrier," he said.

Fazeli noted that the satellites would transmit images of the Earth's surface to ground stations.

Zafar will be sent into a geostationary orbit, which is a circular orbit around 36,000 kilometers (22,320 miles) above the Earth's equator.

The satellite will reportedly have a lifespan of one year and six months, and will capture images and transmit them to stations on earth.

Tolou satellite will also carry out remote sensing and topography missions, and will travel in an orbit of 500 kilometers above from the Earth’s equator.

Moreover, AUT Sat, developed by Iranian scientists at Amir Kabir University of Technology, is a monitoring and telecommunications satellite, which weighs 100 kilograms. It is expected to have a lifespan of two years.

ISS to receive its own Lavazza Espresso machine

A pair of Italian companies in cooperation with the Italian Space Agency (ISA) has announced plans to send an espresso machine to the International Space Station, (they're calling it the ISSpresso machine) allowing astronauts to sip hot drinks while conducting research.

Lavazza, a well known maker of espresso machines has joined forces with Italian aerospace engineering company Argotec to design an espresso machine capable of withstanding the rigors of space travel, one that can also dispense the liquid in a way that allows astronauts in low gravity to drink products without makbing a mess aoard the space station.

Representatives for Lavazza told the press that the company has been working on the idea of a space ready espresso machine for several years.

The news that the two companies are near to actually completing such an assignment comes not long after comments made by Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano bemoaning the lack of espresso while aboard the ISS, last year.

The new machine will use a capsule system (instead of a full ground system) and will be capable of making not just espresso, but several other hot beverages including caffè lungo and coffee.

The company notes that the plastic tube that usually conveys hot water inside a normal espresso machine has been replaced by steel tube, making the unit capable of withstanding very high pressure.

They also added multiple redundant systems (and likely resistance to vibration) to ensure continued service for many years to come.

The changes have meant increased weight however, it's expected the final machine will be approximately 20 kilograms.

The liquid product made by the machine is dispensed into a plastic bag, the astronaut will be able to enjoy his or her beverage by sipping it through a straw.


The ISSpresso is still undergoing testing but engineers on the project fully expect it to be ready for launch this November as part of a long-term mission by the ISA.

The same mission will also include Samantha Cristoforetti, the first Italian women to be sent into space, and perhaps the first on the ISS to enjoy the pleasure that only a good espresso can bring.

Iran has successfully launched a live monkey into Earth Orbit

A view of an observatory at the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) in Mahdasht, about 60 km west of Tehran.

REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi 

Iran has successfully launched a live monkey into space, the Fars news agency reported on Monday, lauding it as an advance in a missile and space program that has alarmed the West and Israel.

There was no independent confirmation of the report and there have been no announcements by Western powers of any Iranian launch late last week.

Fars said the monkey was launched into space on a Kavoshgar rocket. The rocket reached a height of more than 120 kilometers and "returned its shipment intact", Fars reported.
Iran announced plans in 2011 to send a monkey into space, but that attempt was reported to have failed.

Western countries are concerned the long-range ballistic technology used to propel Iranian satellites into orbit could be used to launch atomic warheads. Tehran denies such suggestions and says its nuclear work is purely peaceful.