Russia Successfully Launches 20 Satellites, Including Iranian Telecom Satellite

On July 25, 2025, Russia's space agency Roscosmos confirmed the successful launch of 20 satellites aboard a Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome located in the Amur Oblast region of Russia's Far East. The liftoff occurred at 8:54 Moscow time, which is equivalent to 0554 GMT, marking another significant achievement for Russia's space endeavors.

Among the satellites launched, the Ionosfera-M satellites No. 3 and No. 4 were the primary focus. These satellites are tasked with investigating the physical processes occurring within the Earth's ionosphere, influenced by both natural phenomena and human activities. They will provide insights into the ionosphere's structure over time and space, disturbances in the electromagnetic field, atmospheric composition, and the distribution of ozone, while also enabling monitoring of the radiation environment.

In addition to the primary payload, the rocket also carried 18 smaller satellites. Notably, nine of these were developed by the Russian company Geoscan, whose projects revolve around Earth imaging, tracking of maritime and aerial traffic, as well as the exploration of near-Earth space physics. Some satellites have educational objectives, geared towards developing satellite-to-Earth communication systems and testing technologies for controlling small satellites in low Earth orbit. Furthermore, the launch included the Iranian-made Nahid-2 telecommunications satellite, as reported by TASS news agency.