Each station is able to cover an area within a radius of 2,500 km and to prepare images within an area estimating 10 million cubic meters every 24 days

On the occasion of the Ten Days of Dawn celebrations, Iran plans to launch several home-built satellites by March 2012, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad unveiled on Monday after announcing four new prototypes.

Four national satellites, Fajr (Dawn), Rasad (Observation), Amirkabir I and Zafar (Victory) and the Kavoshgar 4 (Explorer 4) satellite carrier, were uncovered on Monday in presence of Ahmadinejad and Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi, IRNA reported.

The president’s remarks coincide with celebrations of the 32nd anniversary of Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution that falls on February 11 the occasion which Iran uses to announce its scientific, technological and military achievements.

Fajr is the first sensing satellite of the country, manufactured by Iran's Defense Ministry, with the ability to change from the elliptical orbit of 300-450 kilometers to a circular orbit of 450 kilometers which increases the life expectancy of the satellite by one year and a half, Press TV said.

The images taken by Rasad, which is the country's first satellite for photography and carries remote measuring equipment, would be used in meteorology and identifying sea borders.

The satellites were inaugurated a day after General Vahidi unveiled two domestically-manufactured fixed ground stations and another mobile one for receiving remote sensing images on Sunday.
 

The Iranian minister said that each station would be able to cover an area within a radius of 2,500 kilometers and to prepare images within an area estimating 10 million cubic meters every 24 days.