TEHRAN –Iran University of Science and Technology has manufactured Zafar satellite and will deliver it to the Iranian Space Agency for running final tests during the month of Shahrivar (August 22-September 22), the head of the university Jabar-Ali Zakeri announced, IRNA reported on Saturday.

Technical preliminaries for launching the satellite are also underway at the Iranian Space Agency, he said.

“We have already manufactured different parts and assembled them for initial testing and now we are at the final stage of testing,” he said.

As the agreement for manufacturing of the satellite was signed four years ago, the expenses are needed to be revised, he lamented.

The 90 kg satellite is equipped with four color cameras with 80 meter resolution and the equipment have average lifespan of 18 months, he explained.

Before launching the satellite into the main orbit, the satellite will be launched into 500-km orbit for testing, he explained.

In January 2019, Iran launched homegrown Payam satellite, however, the satellite's carrier rocket could not reach the "necessary speed" and so neither reach the orbit, the information and communication technology (ICT) minister told the state TV.

Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi said that the satellite successfully passed the first and second stages of the launch, but could not reach the "necessary speed" in the third stage.

Payam, a 90kg non-military satellite, was planned to be sent into a 500km orbit using domestically-made Safir satellite-carrier rocket.

Manufactured by the Amirkabir University of Technology, the image resolution of the Payam satellite is 45 meters and can stay in orbit for three years.

SB/MG