[News] Jaam-e Jam 1 – Iran’s giant leap into geostationary orbit and a new broadcasting era

[Anti-Imperialist News]

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Explainer: Jaam-e Jam 1 – Iran’s giant leap into geostationary orbit and a
new broadcasting era
Presstv
February 16, 2026
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[image: image.png]


*By Ivan Kesic*

*On February 12, 2026, the Islamic Republic of Iran successfully launched
its first geostationary broadcasting satellite, Jaam-e Jam 1, marking a
transformative milestone for the nation’s media infrastructure and
advancing its long-standing ambition for technological sovereignty in
space.*

The successful deployment of Jaam-e Jam 1 – internationally registered as
Iran DBS – represents the culmination of decades of planning, international
negotiations, and incremental technological progress.

The satellite was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan
aboard a Russian Proton-M heavy-lift rocket, which also carried a Russian
meteorological satellite as part of the same mission.

Following a precisely coordinated sequence of maneuvers, Jaam-e Jam 1 was
initially inserted into a geostationary transfer orbit. From there, it will
use its onboard propulsion system to reach its final operational position
at 34 degrees East longitude.

This achievement is not merely a technical milestone. It also marks a
strategic assertion of national capability in an arena where orbital slots
are finite and intensely contested resources.

Unlike Iran’s previous satellites, which operated in low Earth orbit (LEO),
Jam-e Jam 1 will function in geostationary orbit (GEO), approximately
36,000 kilometers above the equator. At this altitude, it will remain fixed
over a single point on Earth’s surface, providing continuous coverage to
Iran and the surrounding region.

Its mission is infrastructural rather than consumer-facing. Designed to
serve as a professional broadcasting backbone for the Islamic Republic of
Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the satellite lays the foundation for
next-generation interactive media services while reducing reliance on
foreign satellite capacity.

*Long road to geostationary orbit*

Iran’s pursuit of space capabilities began in earnest in 2009 with the
launch of its first domestically produced satellite, Omid, an achievement
that placed the country among a small group of countries capable of
independently building and launching satellites.

In the years that followed, Iran steadily expanded its presence in low
Earth orbit with missions such as Rasad, Navid, and Fajr, each building on
the technical lessons and operational experience of its predecessors.

In parallel, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) developed its own
space program, launching the Nour satellite series using solid-fueled Qased
rockets.

These accomplishments were achieved under the strain of extensive
international sanctions aimed at restricting Iran’s access to global
technological supply chains, making each milestone particularly significant.

Reaching geostationary orbit, however, required capabilities beyond those
of Iran’s existing indigenous launch vehicles, compelling the country to
adopt a different approach.

Geostationary orbit – approximately 36,000 kilometers above the equator,
where satellites match Earth’s rotational speed and appear fixed over a
single longitude – offers critical advantages for communications and
broadcasting. Yet accessing this orbit demands heavy-lift rockets and
advanced orbital transfer systems.

To position a satellite at such an altitude, Iran needed to secure an
international partnership while continuing to cultivate the technical
expertise necessary for future indigenous missions.

*Russian connection and the Ekvator project*

The path to Jaam-e Jam 1 can be traced through a series of space
cooperation agreements between Iran and Russia, undertaken with notable
discretion given their strategic implications.

In August 2022, Russia launched the Khayyam remote-sensing satellite for
Iran aboard a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, underscoring the
deepening space partnership between the two countries.

The Khayyam satellite, built by VNIIEM Corporation, provided Iran with
high-resolution Earth-imaging capabilities and was supported by ground
infrastructure developed by the Russian company NPK Barl.

Even as Khayyam was being readied for launch, indications emerged of a more
ambitious undertaking: a geostationary communications satellite for Iran
under construction by ISS Reshetnev, Russia’s leading manufacturer of
communications satellites.

The project, internally known by the Russian name “Ekvator,” appeared in
environmental impact documentation associated with its planned launch
aboard a Proton-M rocket.

According to the documentation, the satellite would be based on ISS
Reshetnev’s Express-1000H platform, carry a payload mass of 755 kilograms,
and be positioned at 34 degrees East longitude in geostationary orbit.

That orbital slot – registered with the International Telecommunication
Union (ITU) under the designation IRN-30B-34E – had been reserved by Iran
for decades as part of a long-term strategy to secure access to the limited
and highly competitive positions along the geostationary arc.

*Strategic importance of orbital slots*

The orbital slot at 34 degrees East that Jaam-e Jam 1 now occupies is far
more than a coordinate in space; it represents a strategic national asset
whose value extends well beyond the satellite itself.

Geostationary orbital positions are allocated by the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) through a complex framework of application,
technical coordination, and strict regulatory deadlines. Countries that
secure such slots must place operational satellites into position within
specified timeframes or risk forfeiting their rights—a requirement that has
led to the expiration of many unused filings over the years.

Iran’s interest in geostationary communications dates back to the
pre-revolutionary Zohreh project, which envisioned procuring communications
satellites from foreign suppliers. Although that initiative collapsed after
the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the strategic objective endured.

In 2017, the Iran Space Agency (ISA) announced that it had filed
applications with the ITU for five geostationary slots for Ka-band and
Ku-band satellites, including positions at 24.19° East, 26° East, 34° East,
and 43.5° East.

The 34-degree East slot, in particular, had long figured in Iranian
planning, with earlier attempts to activate it through cooperation with
French and Russian firms. Jam-e Jam 1 finally brings that decades-old
reservation into operational reality, securing Iran’s foothold in a region
of the geostationary arc where international telecommunications rights are
measured in fractions of degrees and defended through sustained diplomatic
engagement.

*Satellite’s technical mission and capabilities*

Jaam-e Jam 1 is not a direct-to-home broadcasting satellite intended for
individual household reception. Instead, it is engineered for professional
ground stations equipped with specialized infrastructure, forming the
backbone of the national distribution network of the Islamic Republic of
Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).

>From its station at 34 degrees East, the satellite will relay audio and
video feeds between central broadcasting hubs and regional stations across
the country, ensuring consistent, high-quality delivery of programming
nationwide.

This infrastructural function aligns with what officials have described as
a strategic pivot toward interactive broadcasting, an approach that
anticipates two-way services and advanced content distribution
architectures capable of reshaping how audiences engage with state media.

Equipped with Ka-band and Ku-band transponders, Jaam-e Jam 1 provides the
bandwidth necessary for high-definition video transmission and potentially
for expanded data services beyond conventional broadcasting.

By owning and operating its own geostationary platform, IRIB reduces its
historical reliance on leased capacity from foreign satellite operators.
This shift carries implications not only for operational autonomy and
technical control but also for the resilience and security of Iran’s media
ecosystem.

Direct control over distribution infrastructure mitigates vulnerability to
external political or commercial pressures and helps ensure continuity of
national broadcasting services independent of foreign-managed systems.

*Broader context of Iran's space ambitions*

Jaam-e Jam 1 did not emerge in isolation, but as part of a sustained and
accelerating space development program that has gained notable momentum in
recent years.

In early 2026 alone, Iran successfully placed the Zafar, Paya, and Kowsar
satellites into orbit, underscoring the increasing reliability of its
launch vehicles and the growing sophistication of its satellite engineering.

The head of the Iran Space Agency, Hassan Salariyeh, has outlined plans for
even more advanced initiatives in the coming years.

These include the Raad family of radar imaging satellites, designed to
provide Earth observation capabilities unaffected by cloud cover or
darkness, and the Martyr Qassem Soleimani satellite constellation,
envisioned as the first such network in the Muslim world.

These announcements build upon earlier milestones, including the successful
launch of the Sorayya satellite to an altitude of 750 kilometers aboard the
IRGC’s Qaem-100 rocket, and the simultaneous placement of three satellites
into orbit by the Simorgh carrier rocket, which reached an apogee of 1,100
kilometers.

Each mission incrementally expands the boundaries of Iran’s technical
capabilities and contributes to the institutional knowledge base required
for eventual indigenous access to geostationary orbit.

The country’s seventh five-year development plan includes objectives to
consolidate low Earth orbit operations while laying the technical
foundation for reaching geostationary orbit. Projects such as the Sarir and
Soroush carrier rockets are intended to help achieve these goals by the end
of the decade.

*Path forward for Iranian space communications*

The activation of Jaam-e Jam 1 at 34 degrees East creates new opportunities
for Iran’s space-based communications infrastructure while also
underscoring the challenges that remain.

The satellite secures Iran’s claim to a strategically valuable orbital slot
and provides the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) with a
dedicated national asset. However, its launch relied on Russian assistance
rather than an indigenous Iranian launch vehicle.

Efforts to develop domestic rockets capable of reaching geostationary orbit
continue through programs such as Sarir and Soroush, which are designed to
eventually place heavier satellites at 36,000 kilometers without foreign
support.

Meanwhile, the Saman orbital transfer block, intended to enable satellites
to raise their orbits from low Earth orbit to higher altitudes, has
undergone preliminary testing and is being prepared for more comprehensive
trials.

Together, these parallel advances in launch vehicles, orbital transfer
systems, and satellite manufacturing are gradually assembling the full
technological ecosystem required for independent access to all major
orbital regimes.

Four additional geostationary slots reserved by Iran with the International
Telecommunication Union remain available for future deployment, whether
through international procurement or increasingly domestic production as
capabilities mature.

Each successful mission reinforces the momentum of this long-term national
project, bringing closer the point at which Iran will be able to deploy and
operate geostationary satellites entirely through its own technical
resources and expertise.
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