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Iran's Imam Khomeini Space Launch Center (IKSLC)
History of press statements
TEHRAN, 2011, Nov. 19 -- Director
of Iran Space Agency Hamid Fazeli announced that the Islamic Republic plans
to build a civil satellite launch center. The center will be established
with the cooperation of the Defense Ministry in the southeastern area of
the country. The area is the safest location to establish the base as
it is located near the Indian Ocean and has few inhabitants. The base
will be active in various fields such as launching navigational and communication
satellites as well as biological capsules. The satellites will be placed in
geocentric orbit, near the equatorial zone, in order to reduce expenses of
launching and orbit maneuver.
BAKU, 2012, Feb. 09 -- Iran will unveil satellite space center in the beginning
of next Iranian year (starts on March 21), Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier
General Ahmad Vahidi said, ISNA reported. Vahidi added that
work on the center is complete by 75 percent.
"We hope that next year we will be able to put it into operation," he added.
Vahidi also said that Iran plans to establish a test area for space engines.
The area is to be constructed by country's scientists, and is planned to be
put into operation next year.
TEHRAN, 2012, Febr. 10 -- Iran plans to launch heavy satellites into orbit
and is setting up a new launch base to put such types of satellites, Iranian
Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said. Vahidi said that the
base will be used to launch one-ton satellites into an orbit of 1,000 kilometers.
He said that among Iran's next year plans was the launch of Toloo and Fajr
satellites into orbit. Vahidi also said that Iran is planning to launch satellites
into orbits of up to 36,000 kilometers next year.
TEHRAN, 2012, Febr. 14 -- Iran will launch satellites with the Simorgh
carrier from a new space port. There would be a new round of space progression
in Iran by 2013. The country will launch Toloo and Fajr satellites and will
improve its carriers by efforts by experts in this regard.
The Simorgh satellite carrier which is capable of carrying satellites with
100 kg to 500 km orbit, possesses 4 engines and final tests are implemented
on it.
The Toloo satellite built by Iran's electronic industry affiliated with defense
ministry will launched by Simorgh satellite carrier built by air and space
industry of defense ministry. The Simorgh launcher also will be capable to
put satellites into GTO orbits. Then thruster of satellite will put satellite
into 36,000 km GEO. The satellite carrier Simorgh is built soon.
TEHRAN, 2012, June 02 -- Iran is in the completion of a new space center that
will allow it soon to launch more domestically made satellites into orbit.
Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said that 80 percent of
the space center's construction is over. The new space center bears the
name of the Imam Khomeini, he said. As a first step, the minister said, the
Toloo Satellite will be launched by Simorgh orbital carrier rocket from the
Imam Khomeini Space Launch Center.
TEHRAN, 2012, Aug. 11 -- Iran has revealed new details on the new space center.
According to the Head of Iranian Space Agency, Hamid Fazeli, the new space
center is being built in the South-East of Iran in Chabahar region (?). "The
place in Chabahar was selected due to higher security availability, and lower
population density in the area," Hamid Fazeli explained. "Iranian Space Agency
is monitoring the work, and the center will be completed soon." Fazeli said
that this center will allow to launch bigger and heavier satellites into orbit,
adding that this center is not a military structure.
Note: Now this statement is refuted.
TEHRAN, 2013, June 09 -- Iran will inaugurate
Imam Khomeini
Space Launch Center by the end of the incumbency of the current administration
in August, the Mehr News Agency quoted Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi as saying.
Vahidi had previously said that the Toloo satellite would be sent into space
aboard the Simorgh satellite-carrier rocket from the Imam Khomeini space center.
A number of satellites
are scheduled to be launched in the coming weeks, Vahidi added. The Imam Khomeini
base will launch Iranian satellites as well as those of other regional countries.
Baku, 2015, January 31 -- Priority to restructure Iranian
Space Agency is in line with the government's policy to promote knowledge-based
economy, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani said, IRNA reported.
Rouhani's statement came out amid Iran's preparation to launch the "Sharif"
satellite into space by February 11, 2015.
Iran's
vice president for executive affairs Mohammad Shariatmadari told Fars News
Agency on Nov.14 that Iran's Defense Ministry has announced readiness for
launching the satellite.
TEHRAN, 2015, April 05 -- Iran's national space center (IKSLC)
will start work early this Iranian year (which began on March 21) upon
an order by President Hassan Rouhani and under the supervision of the scientific
and technological department of the presidential office.
The Head of Iran's National Space
Center Jahangir Jodai announced that the center will start work in coming
months.
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"Imam Khomeini Space Launch Center" under construction
(2012 Sept.)
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What is the height of the assembly
building ?
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First images from the Imam
Khomeini Space Launch Center
The new facility of the Imam Khomeini Space Launch Center
is located 2600 m northeast from the Safir launch pad.
Location: 35°14'13"N / 53°57'08"E.
The facility is very different to the North Korean Sohae launch tower.
The composition is similar the assembly tower in the hall of the Space
Research and Test Center. The rocket will be stacked in the assembly building
(when it finished probably 48
m high ; on the photo already ~46 m).
Current images from the
Imam Khomeini Space Launch Center
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Two images taken by Imagesat
International.
(Israeli EROS-B Satellite, Oct. 06 and Nov.11, 2014 )
Provided by Tal Inbar, Head of the space research center at the
Fisher Institute
for Air and Space Strategic Studies |
Google Earth
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Airbus
Defence & Space imagery
Oct. 27, 2014
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So it goes!
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| Tal Inbar:
"The object on the right can not be a launcher - there is
no way to move it to the launch platform - the movable building
is open ONLY on one side. We have pictures from its construction
to verify this" (see above left) |
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Iran was in preparation
of a Safir-1C space launch on January 01
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Safir-1C
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