Omid

Launch data: Designation  33506 / 09004A Launch date  02 Feb 2009 - 18:36 UT Launch site  Semnan Launch vehicle  Safir Mission  Launch test Earth orbit on Feb 02.94: Perigee / Apogee  246 x 378 km Eccentricity   Inclination  55.51 deg Period  90.76 min

Mission details:

• First successful satellite launch by Iran on Feb 2, 2009 at around 1834 UTC +/- 5 min on a southeastern trajectory, after a possible launch failure on August 17, 2008 when the second stage of the launch vehicle – then called Safir-1 – suffered a failure: Omid means “hope”. Omid is a cube, 0.4 metres along each side, and it carries and instrument to measure the space environment and a GPS receiver.
• Two objects are in orbits of 245 x 378 km x 55.51 deg and 245 x 439 x 55.6 deg; radio signals confirms that 2009-004A is indeed the satellite, even though it is in a lower orbit that the rocket stage, 2009-004B.
• The launch site has not been officially identified, but it is believed to be south-west of Semnan, close to 35.2 deg N, 53.9 deg E.
• The launch vehicle for the August 2008 and this launch were identified as Safir-1 and Safir-2 respectively: it is not clear whether the numbers are simply sequential vehicle numbers or (less probably) indicate different versions of the launch vehicle. Pictures of the launch show "Safir - Omid (2) IRILV" painted on the side of the rocket. Based on an Iranian video showing an animation of the launch, it appears that Safir is a two-stage launch vehicle, thus suggesting that later launches will carry significantly heavier payloads. Second stage is cylindrical with a diameter of 1.25 metres: possible length is ~5 metres.
• The satellite carries an instrument to measure the space environment, and a GPS receiver modified for use in the unstabilized (i.e. tumbling) satellite, according to the Iranian Space Agency web site isa.ir. IRNA associates the project with "Saa Iran Industries", and connects it with the celebrations for the 30th anniversary of the revolution that brought Ayatollah Khomeini to power.
• On Feb 3 at 18:38 UT: First signals received at the Zarya location (UK) from the Omid satellite at 465 MHz.
• On Feb 20: Final report of signals from Iran's Omid satellite.
• On Apr 25, 2009: Iran's Omid satellite re-enters the atmosphere and burns up as the result of orbital decay.

FURTHER BACKGROUND TO THE IRANIAN SATELLITE LAUNCH:

• Speaking in an exclusive interview with Iran newspaper, Dr Asghar Ebrahimi, a prominent scientist and expert in the field of space technology and science, explained the background to the construction of the Omid satellite, and said: “The project of building the Omid satellite began officially after the Cabinet approved the strategic plan on the country's space activities back in the summer of 1385 [year which began from 21 March 2006]”.
• Dr Ebrahimi added: “This project had been designed around the three main aspects of the satellite - the guidance and operations stations and the satellite launcher - and each of these topics was handed over to the relevant organizations.”
  He explained that the first step in the process of designing and manufacturing the Omid satellite was to design the micro-satellite stations as well as the launching facilities for Safir-e Omid [Messenger of Hope]. He added: A year and half after the approval of the project, the Omid national satellite was built in Bahman 1386 [January-February 2008] and during the blessed Ten Days of Dawn [the Iranian Revolution anniversary celebrations], the satellite was officially unveiled by the President.
• Dr Ebrahimi went on to say: “Concurrent with the unveiling of the Omid national satellite, the "Kavoshgar-1" [Explorer-1: name of sub-orbital test flight] was launched into the space, and its duty was to collect data about the flight path of the Safir satellite launcher and test some of the systems of the satellite and its launcher. In summer 1387, the design and production stages of the "Safir-e Omid-1" satellite launcher were completed, and its launch took place later that summer, in order to test the operation of that satellite launcher.”
• In another part of this interview, this expert of space technology said: “In Aban 1387 [month ending 21 November 2008] the "Kavoshgar-2" was launched with the aim of completing the data on the flight paths.” Explaining the differences between the Kavoshgar-1 and Kavoshgar-2 launchers, Dr Ebrahimi said: “The main difference between them was about the equipment they carried. The equipment onboard Kavoshgar-2 included a system for returning to Earth, and during its flight and return path to Earth, it had taken photographs of its flight environment and had transmitted these directly to Earth.”
• He added: “The Kavoshgar-2 payload landed with several parachute systems, and this in itself was a major step in the process of evaluation of space loads.” He explained that after several tests, the "Safir-e Omid-2" satellite launcher was declared ready for operation, and went on to say: This carrier was launched from the country's space base at 22:06 on the night of 14 Bahman 1387 [2 February 2009], which coincided with the blessed birth anniversary of Imam Musa Kazem [the 7th Shi'i Imam] - peace be upon him. He said: “This launch was successful at all its stages, and the Omid national satellite was successfully placed in the orbit.”

Launcher's features:

• Elaborating on the details of the satellite launcher, Dr Ebrahimi said: “The ‘Safir-e Omid-2’ satellite launcher is a two-stage device, and each stage has an independent engine. The engine for the first stage is a powerful engine which lifts the 6-tonne [sic] weight of the launcher off the ground, and continues to operate until it reaches the altitude of 68 km from Earth, where its fuel runs out, and the first stage is completed there.” He added: “With the completion of the first stage, one section of the satellite launcher is detached and falls to the ground, and the second engine immediately takes over.”
• This expert in the field of space science and technology said: “The engine for the second stage has the job of carrying the satellite to the designated altitude, and at an altitude of 250 km from the Earth surface, it launches the Omid national satellite into its orbit at a velocity of 7,800 metres per second.” Dr Ebrahimi emphasized: “The technology and know-how used in designing and manufacturing the "Safir-e Omid" satellite launcher was of a very high standard.” Explaining the methods and procedures used for placing the Omid satellite in the orbit, he said: “The orbit of the Omid national satellite is the near Earth orbit or LEO [abbreviation in English: Low Earth Orbiting]. The lowest point of the orbit is 250 km and its peak and climax is 185 km.”
• Dr Ebrahimi went on to say: “The Omid national satellite weights 27 kilograms and measures 40 x 40 x 40 cm. It is equipped with systems for space transmission and reception; power generation, supply and distribution; central computer for ascertaining the status of the satellite and controlling heat; and the reception and transmission antennas.”

Tasks of Omid satellite:

• Our country's space technology expert also provided some explanations about the duties and tasks of the Omid national satellite, and said: “This satellite is a research and communication satellite, whose assignments and tasks include the transmission of an audio message by the esteemed President; the processing of the data collected by the different terminals and systems incorporated in the satellite, as well as the orbit-related data, for instance about the air temperature and pressure; and finally the reception and transmission of textual information from or to Earth - or in other words, functioning as a teletext [word in English].” He went on to say: “The Omid national satellite will be in contact with the appropriate ground stations during its orbital flight, and through several ground stations, all of which are guided by a central ground station - which is named the ‘base for the guidance and control of flight operations’ - the satellite receives the necessary commands, and transmits the data it has collected from space to these stations.”
• Dr Ebrahimi said: “The Omid national satellite revolves around the Earth 15 times every 24 hours, and each round takes around 94 minutes to complete.” He added: “In designing and manufacturing the Omid national satellite and the ‘Safir-e Omid’ launcher, no help from any foreign country was received, and all aspects were completed by the Iranian space technology specialists and experts, and for this reason, the entire equipment and installations in the satellite, the launch base and the support ground bases and stations are completely Iranian and indigenous.”
• Commenting on the impact of this progress in the space technology on other scientific and technological disciplines in our country, Dr Ebrahimi said: “Space technology acts like the driving engine of other advanced technological disciplines. The fact of the matter is that when it comes to building the satellite, the launcher and the support ground bases, a number of advanced technologies must be utilized. Therefore, this will lead to development in other technologies, including communications, control, guidance and navigation. In addition, the country's chemical industries achieve progress through their involvement in producing the fuel required for the satellite launcher. Furthermore, in addition to the growth in these technologies, the scientific levels of these disciplines are also elevated at the country's universities.”
• He went on to say: “Currently, there have been considerable progresses in the country's universities in different fields, including aerospace engineering; mechanical engineering, solid state, design and manufacture; electricity engineering in different specializations of power, control, and communications; and various basic sciences such as physics, chemistry and computer science.”
• Commenting on the satellite's use of the LEO orbit, Dr Ebrahimi said: “Generally speaking, the orbits used by satellites are divided into three broad categories. The first one is LEO, which is an orbit close to Earth, and after that, we have the NEO [Abbreviation in English: Near Earth Orbit] and GEO [Abbreviation in English: Geostationary Earth Orbit] orbits”. He added: “The remote sensing satellites are usually placed in the LEO orbit, which has an altitude range of 200 to 1000 km.”
• This space technology expert added: “Some communication satellites and most research satellites are placed in the LEO orbit. In addition, navigation and meteorological satellites are placed in the NEO orbit, and these can be as high as 21,000 km from the Earth.”
  Explaining the details of the GEO orbit, he said: “The GEO orbit stands at an altitude of around 36,000 km and is precisely above the Earth's equator. One of the special features of that orbit is that the satellites flying in that orbit revolve around the Earth once every 24 hours, and they follow the direction of the Earth's revolution. For someone observing these satellites from the Earth, they seem to be stationary.” He said: “Communications and radio and television satellites are placed in this orbit.”