Iran’s space program adds advanced capsule

Shafaq News – Tehran

Iran will begin testing a new heavy biological space capsule this year as part of its space development program, the head of the Iranian Space Agency (ISA), Hassan Salarieh, announced on Saturday.

Iran launched its first domestically built satellite, Omid, in 2009 and has since developed satellites, launch vehicles, and orbital systems to achieve independent access to space.

According to Iranian media, Salarieh said the new capsule follows the 2023 launch of a 500-kilogram prototype and will feature greater weight and capability. “The project is part of Iran’s long-term plan to advance biological and life-support research that could eventually support human spaceflight,” he said.

Salarieh also rejected reports that the Saman-1 orbital transfer vehicle had failed, noting that about 80 percent of its subsystems operated successfully in orbit while the rest are being refined. The Saman-1, first tested in 2023, is designed to maneuver satellites between orbits—a key step toward self-reliant satellite operations.

“In space projects there is no such thing as failure,” Salarieh said, explaining that each system is built in multiple versions, with early models used for testing—“even at companies like SpaceX.”