TEHRAN, Aug. 19 (MNA) – An indigenous imaging satellite 'Tolou-3' will be put into orbit by yearend (19 March 2024), said the head of the Electronic Industries Organization Rear Admiral Amir Rastegari said on Saturday.

Tolou-3 satellite, an imaging satellite commissioned by the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) and produced by Iran Electronics Industries was unveiled in February 2023 during a ceremony attended by a number of high-ranking Iranian officials in Tehran on the occasion of the country's National Day of Space.

With a weight of 150 kilograms, Tolou-3 is believed to be the heaviest satellite manufactured in Iran.

Tolou-3 is capable of capturing black and white images with a spatial resolution of five meters. It also has a 10-meter resolution in color mode.

The satellite, which strongly relies on equipment and tools produced by Iranian knowledge-based companies, is expected to be placed into an orbit 500 kilometers above the Earth.

Iran launched its first satellite Omid (Hope) in 2009 and its Rasad (Observation) satellite was sent into orbit in 2011.

In 2012, the Islamic Republic successfully put its third domestically-made satellite, Navid (Promise), into orbit.

In April 2020, Iran announced the successful launch of its first military satellite into orbit. And in March 2022, it blasted its second military satellite into space.

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