NAVID

NAVID is no longer on orbit

NORAD ID: 38075

Int'l Code: 2012-005A

Launch date: February 3, 2012
Source: Iran (IRAN)
Launch site: Semnan, Iran (SEM)
Decay date: 2012-04-02

NAVID (Gospel), was designed to collect data on weather conditions and monitor for natural disasters. The satellite weighs about 110 pounds (50 kilograms) and will orbit Earth at an altitude of up to 234 miles (375 kilometers), circling the planet 15 times a day. Navid, produced at an Iranian engineering university, is the third small satellite that Iran launched over the past years and is expected to remain in orbit for about two months. The two earlier satellites — Omid, launched in 2009, and Rasad, sent into orbit in June 2011 — lasted three weeks and 82 days, respectively. The satellite has advanced control technology, a higher-resolution camera and photocells to generate power. (source: IRNA)