Russia launches 20 satellites, including Iran’s Nahid-2 telecom satellite

Soyuz-2.1b rocket launches 20 satellites, including Iran's Nahid-2, from Russia's Vostochny base.
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Russia launched 20 satellites into space on Friday, including the Iranian-made Nahid-2 telecommunications satellite, in a mission aimed at expanding scientific, commercial, and educational capabilities in low Earth orbit.

A Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket lifted off at 8:54 Moscow time from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Far East, the Russian space agency Roscosmos said.

The primary mission featured the deployment of Ionosfera-M satellites No. 3 and No. 4. These instruments will monitor physical processes in the Earth’s ionosphere, such as electromagnetic field disturbances and ozone distribution, as well as changes in spatial structure caused by both natural and human activity. The data is expected to enhance understanding of the upper atmosphere and radiation environment.

In addition to the main payload, 18 small satellites were released into orbit. Among them were nine built by the Russian firm Geoscan, which will support Earth observation, sea and air traffic monitoring, and the study of near-Earth space.

Several of the smaller satellites serve educational objectives. These include hands-on experiments with satellite-to-Earth communication links and control systems for small satellite navigation and positioning in orbit.

The Nahid-2 satellite, built in Iran and designed for telecommunications purposes, was included in the multi-payload launch, according to TASS.

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