Iran has started preparations for the launch of new satellites of own make, TASS agency reported referring to Fars news agency.
Deputy head of the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) Hamid Fazeli said on the sidelines of the launch ceremony of the World Space Week events in Iran that three satellites were already undergoing all the required testing procedures and the final preparation for the launch and even go the names Zafar, Tolou and AUT Sat.
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), Fars reported. "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.
According to Fazeli, ISA immediate plans include launching of two more Earth monitoring satellites - Sharifsat and Nahid - that are under construction. They are planned to be launched by the end of the year.
Zafar will be sent into a geostationary orbit, which is a circular orbit around 36,000 kilometres (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 kilometres above from the Earth's equator, Fars reported.
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.