TEHRAN — Iranian lawmakers on Sunday hailed the successful launch of the country’s first indigenous telecommunications satellite, Nahid-2, calling it a symbol of national scientific progress and technological resilience.
In a joint statement issued during public session of the parliament, 170 lawmakers lauded the achievement and praised Minister of Information and Communications Technology Sattar Hashemi, as well as the country’s space scientists and engineers.
“The power demonstrated by the children of proud Iran in advancing the space industry, especially so soon after the Zionist regime’s aggression—supported by criminal America—marks a key pillar of restoring the strategic balance of power against global arrogance,” the statement read.
Nahid-2, a communications microsatellite weighing nearly 110 kilograms, was developed jointly by the Iranian Space Research Institute and the Iranian Space Agency (ISA), with support from domestic knowledge-based firms. It was launched Friday aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East.
The low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite is designed to operate at an altitude of 500 kilometers and is equipped to function in the KU-band frequency. Iranian authorities see the satellite as a milestone in their efforts to build a domestic constellation of LEO communication satellites, with longer-term ambitions to develop geostationary (GEO) telecom systems.
Hours after the launch, the Iranian Space Agency confirmed it had received the first telemetry signals from Nahid-2, indicating that the satellite was intact and operating normally.
Parliamentarians described the achievement as a direct result of the nation’s adherence to the directives of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, particularly his emphasis on maintaining the momentum of scientific advancement despite foreign pressures.
“The successful design, construction, and launch of Nahid-2 during the days of Arbaeen—commemorating the martyrdom of commanders, scientists, and innocent compatriots—is a clear sign of our country’s development in the strategic space sector and our climb toward the peaks of scientific and technological excellence,” the statement added.
The lawmakers pledged continued full support for Iran’s domestic space program and expressed formal appreciation to Minister Hashemi and all “honorable scientists of the Islamic Republic.”
Nahid-2 is an upgraded version of Iran’s earlier Nahid-1 satellite and is expected to play a key role in expanding the country’s secure and independent communications infrastructure.