Friday, March 29, 2024

Baghdad

Iraq launches its first satellite – TigriSat

Iraq to launch its 1st satellite into space, TigriSat, to study dust storms.
Iraq to launch its 1st satellite into space, TigriSat, to study dust storms.

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) On Thursday the Iraq Ministry of Science and Technology announced that Iraq plans to launch its first satellite for scientific studies, this evening, from a base in northern Russia.

A three-unit CubeSat, TigriSat, is the first satellite to be launched for Iraq. Built for the country’s Ministry of Science and Technology by Iraqi students working at the La Sapienza University in Rome, TigriSat will be used to monitor dust storms in Iraq.

Iraq previously claimed to have launched a satellite in 1989, however this was discredited after footage of the rocket exploding during first stage flight surfaced. Analysts have also determined that it was unlikely to have been an orbital launch attempt in any case.

The ministry said in a statement that “in spite of all the difficulties and security events plaguing Iraq, today we will launch the first satellite, Dajla, at 10:11:11 pm, according to the timing of Baghdad.”

The statement stressed that “the rocket launch would be from Aazina space area, Federal Republic of Russia and aboard the Dnepr rocket.”

Tigrisat will be deployed from the Italian UniSat 6, which in turn has been booked for a launch aboard a Dnepr launch vehicle operated by Kosmotras.

The statement pointed out that “the rising moon is 620 km from the ground level and 97.97 degree angle deviation within the orbit oval compression [0.0059].”

Leave a Reply