At 07:52 on 9 August Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, launched a Soyuz 2.1b rocket carrying the Iranian satellite Khayyam and 16 cubesats produced by various Russian institutions and universities.
Khayyam
The satellite appears to be based on the Alpha-ES satellite designed by NPK Barl.
Alpha-ES is capable of taking panchromatic and near infrared images with a resolution of 0.7m.
The satellite has a mass of 650 kg and is equipped with four solar panels.
Its lifespan is 5 years.
Soyuz 2.1b
The Soyuz rocket has been the main vehicle of the Soviet / Russian space program since 1966. The Soyuz version currently used for most satellite launches is a four-stage vehicle, consisting of:
4 side boosters (first stage);
1 central stage (second stage);
1 upper stage (third stage);
A further optional upper stage called Fregat.
The Side Boosters Each side booster has a single RD-107A engine, which runs on liquid oxygen and RP-1. Each engine has four combustion chambers and four nozzles.
During separation the boosters perform a well-known pattern: these detach and rotate outward. This pattern is known as the "Korolev cross".
The middle stage The middle stage is equipped with an RD-108A engine which, like the RD-107A engine, has four combustion chambers and four nozzles and is powered by LOX and RP-1. The engine contains four attitude thrusters, used for three-axis flight control once the side boosters have separated.
The third stage The third stage uses an RD-0124 motor, this closed loop motor works with LOX and RP-1.
The Fregat upper stage The Fregat upper stage is an autonomous and flexible stage designed to function as an orbital vehicle. The additional stage has its own guidance, navigation, attitude control, tracking and telemetry systems. Fregat uses the S5.92 engine which can be restarted up to 50 times in flight.
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