Russia launched 55 satellites into orbit on Tuesday, including two privately developed Iranian satellites, showcasing growing cooperation between Moscow and Tehran.
A Soyuz rocket took off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East at 2:18 a.m. Moscow time, carrying the payload, as reported by Russia’s Roscosmos space agency.
Roscosmos stated that the mission successfully deployed 51 Russian satellites, a Russian-Chinese device, a Russian-Zimbabwean satellite, and two Iranian satellites into orbit. It described the launch as setting a record for the number of Russian satellites launched simultaneously.
The Iranian satellites, named Koswar and Hodhod, were designed and built by Iran’s Omid Faza Company for environmental monitoring and to provide communication support in remote areas. Tehran noted that this marks the first instance of Russia launching privately built Iranian satellites.
Russia and Iran have deepened their political, economic, and military ties amidst the war in Ukraine and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, which has raised concerns among Western nations.
