TEHRAN - The head of the Iranian Space Agency says the aviation body will soon unveil its first radar satellite. 

“Radar satellites, 'Raad 1’ and ‘Raad 2’ families, are being designed and manufactured,” said Hassan Salarieh.

“The Raad 1 satellite is a radar satellite of the SAR type with a resolution of better than 50 meters. This satellite is not in the integration phase as it is going through its final stages and, God willing, will soon be unveiled,” he explained.

The agency’s chief further said the Raad 2 satellite, with an imaging resolution of more than 20 meters, is being developed and will hopefully be unveiled in the coming years.

He said the most important advantage of radar satellites is that they are capable of recording images in spectrums and wavelengths other than visible ones.

That means these kinds of satellites can easily do imaging operations irrespective of climatic conditions, dust and particulates, or cloudy weather.
“Imaging would be possible even in regions covered with snow and the like,” he explained.

In early January 2026, Iran announced the successful orbital deployment and initial testing of three new satellites. According to the national space agency, the Zafar, Paya, and Kowsar satellites were in a multi-week orbital testing phase, having completed their first series of in-orbit checks with an overall favorable technical status.

The agency reported that the evaluation and stabilization of the satellites' subsystems were proceeding as planned. While all three entered subsystem performance reviews with satisfactory conditions, the Paya satellite required special attention due to an issue during its orbital injection by the launch vehicle.

Precise corrective measures were taken to resolve this problem.
Iran has made great strides in its space program in recent years, developing and launching multiple locally-manufactured satellites.