On Tuesday, Russia successfully launched a total of 55 satellites into orbit, including two privately built Iranian devices, signaling the strengthening partnership between Moscow and Tehran. A Soyuz rocket lifted off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East at 02:18 Moscow time (2318 GMT on Monday), as confirmed by the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
This launch included an impressive array of 51 Russian satellites, along with one Russian-Chinese satellite and one Russian-Zimbabwean satellite, marking a “record number of Russian satellites simultaneously put into orbit,” according to Roscosmos.
The Iranian satellites, named Koswar and Hodhod, were developed by Iran’s Omid Faza Company and are intended to enhance environmental monitoring and communication capabilities in remote regions. Tehran noted that this marked the first occasion Russia has launched privately built Iranian satellites.
The launch occurs against a backdrop of deepening political, economic, and military collaboration between Russia and Iran, particularly in light of Russia’s ongoing military actions in Ukraine and the evolving situation in the Middle East, raising concerns among Western nations.
