Two private satellites will be put into orbit overnight by a Russian Soyuz missile, the Iranian embassy in Russia said, as part of strengthening the alliance between Moscow and Tehran.

“As part of the development of scientific and technological cooperation between Iran and Russia, two Iranian satellites, Kowsar and Hodhod, will be put into orbit 500 kilometers from Earth on Tuesday, November 5 at 02:48 Tehran time (01:18 GMT) by the Soyuz rocket,” according to an embassy statement.

According to the Iranian embassy in Russia, this is “a first strong and decisive step (…) towards the entry of the private sector of the Islamic Republic of Iran into the space sector”. The embassy, in its statement posted on its Telegram account, did not specify from which cosmodrome they will be launched.

What the satellites will be used for – Fears of potential use of the technology in warfare

According to the website of their manufacturer, Omidfaza, the two satellites will be used in the areas of agriculture, transport, environment and mapping.

Iran asserts that its aerospace activities are peaceful and in line with a resolution of the UN Security Council.

However, Western governments fear they are using technologies that could be used as an alternative to ballistic missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

At the recent summit of the BRICS group of countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Iranian counterpart Massoud Pezheskian and expressed satisfaction with “developing” and “genuinely friendly” bilateral relations.

Putin added that he wants to “strengthen the emerging positive dynamics in terms of trade and economic cooperation” between the two countries.

Since the start of its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has strengthened its ties with Iran, which is accused of providing it with weapons for its war in Ukraine.