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Omid
Iranian communications satellite From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Omid (Persian: امید, meaning "Hope")[2] was Iran's first domestically made satellite.[3][4] Omid was a data-processing satellite for research and telecommunications; Iran's state television reported that it was successfully launched on 2 February 2009.[4][5][6] After being launched by an Iranian-made carrier rocket, Safir 1, the satellite was placed into a low Earth orbit. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad supervised the launch, which coincided with the 30th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution; NASA verified the launch's success the following day.[7][8] Its Satellite Catalog Number or USSPACECOM object number is 33506.
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Ahmadinejad said the satellite was launched to spread "monotheism, peace and justice" in the world.[9] The Tehran Times reported that "Iran has said it wants to put its own satellites into orbit to monitor natural disasters in the earthquake-prone nation and improve its telecommunications."[10] Foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki said that Iran launched the satellite to "meet the needs of the country" and that it was "purely for peaceful purposes".[9] Since there was very little encryption on the satellite, data could be collected and read by citizens.[11]
Omid had the shape of a 40-centimeter (16 in) cube with mass of 27 kilograms (60 lb). Sources in the Iranian Space Agency say the satellite's sole payload was a store and forward telecommunication capability.[6]
The launch of Omid makes Iran the ninth country to develop an indigenous satellite launch capability.
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Specifications
- Store and Forward Telecommunication Satellite
- Dimensions: 40 cm × 40 cm × 40 cm
- Weight: 27 kg
- Thermal Control: Passive
- Frequency Band: UHF
- Nodal Period: 90.7 minutes
- Inclination: 55.71°
- Apogee: 381.2 km
- Perigee: 245.5 km
Previous Iranian satellites
Omid was the second Iranian satellite to be placed into orbit. A previous Iranian satellite, Sina-1, was built and launched for Iran by Russia in 2005.[12][13]
Test launch
Speaking at the opening of a new space centre on 4 February 2008, President Ahmadinejad announced that Omid would be launched in "the near future".[14] On 17 August 2008, Iranian officials reported that they performed a test of the satellite carrier; they broadcast footage of the Safir rocket launch in darkness.[15]
According to an American official, "The vehicle failed shortly after liftoff and in no way reached its intended position."[16]
Orbit
The satellite was launched southeast over the Indian Ocean to avoid overflying neighboring countries and was placed into an orbit with an inclination of 55.5 degrees,[17] with a perigee of 246 km, an apogee of 377 km, and a period of 90.76 minutes.[18]
End of mission
Omid was reported to have completed its mission without any problems. It completed more than 700 orbits over seven weeks.[19] According to U.S. Strategic Command, the Omid satellite re-entered Earth's atmosphere on 25 April 2009, during an 8-hour window centered on 0342 UT. The most likely re-entry location was over the south Atlantic Ocean, east of Buenos Aires, Argentina. No sightings were reported.[20] The rocket body from the launch, which had also entered orbit, re-entered the atmosphere 31 May 2009.[21]
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Further launches
Iran launched Rasad 1 on 15 June 2011, orbiting for three weeks.
See also
- Iranian Space Agency
- List of orbits
- Safir (rocket)
- Sina-1
- Khayyam satellite
- Timeline of first orbital launches by country
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Omid.
References
External links
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