On August 9, 2022, a Soyuz-2.1b rocket lifted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, expertly placing Khayyam —Iran's premier high-resolution Earth observation satellite—into a sun-synchronous 500-kilometer orbit.
Developed through a strategic partnership between the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) and Roscosmos, with full payload control by Iranian engineers, this 600-kilogram observatory is a cornerstone of advanced remote sensing. Named after the Persian polymath Omar Khayyam, the satellite features dual high-resolution cameras delivering 1-meter panchromatic and 4-meter multispectral imagery, enabling daily global coverage and real-time data processing.
Now, 39 months into flawless operations with over 10,000 imaging passes, Khayyam is transforming Iran's data economy, supplying critical insights for agriculture, urban planning, disaster response, and resource management—while driving a new era of commercial space services.
The Mission: Crystal-Clear Vision from Orbit
Khayyam is a state-of-the-art remote sensing platform, engineered for high-resolution, high-frequency Earth monitoring and data commercialization. Its core capabilities include:
- Dual Imaging System: 1m panchromatic + 4m multispectral (4 bands: RGB + NIR) for detailed land use, vegetation health, and change detection.
- Agile Pointing & Revisit: ±30° off-nadir tilt enables same-day revisits over any point on Earth.
- Onboard Processing: AI-driven compression and prioritization reduce downlink latency by 60%.
- Store-and-Forward + Direct Broadcast: Supports both archived and real-time data delivery to ground stations worldwide.
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Mass | 600 kg |
| Orbit | 500 km Sun-Synchronous LEO |
| Launcher | Soyuz-2.1b (Russia) |
| Resolution | 1m PAN / 4m MS |
| Swath Width | 25 km |
| Lifespan | 5+ years (exceeding design) |
From first light to continuous global mapping, Khayyam has set a new standard for operational reliability and data quality in emerging space nations.
Why It Matters
Khayyam marks a turning point in Iran’s space commercialization:
- Full Iranian Control: All imaging tasking, processing, and distribution managed from ISA’s Mahdasht ground station.
- $1 Billion+ Data Market Entry: Supplies high-res imagery to government, agriculture, oil & gas, and international clients.
- Strategic Autonomy: Reduces reliance on foreign providers (e.g., Maxar, Planet) while generating export-grade products.
As ISA Director Hassan Salarieh stated: "Khayyam turns space into a national asset—delivering intelligence that drives decisions and development."
This satellite powers a 35% annual growth in Iran’s geospatial services sector, with Khayyam’s data projected to generate $150M in annual revenue by 2027 through subscriptions, APIs, and analytics.
39 Months in Focus: Khayyam’s Impact and Next-Gen Roadmap
Since activation, Khayyam has imaged over 70% of Earth’s landmass, supporting:
- Agricultural Optimization: 15% yield increase in pilot farms via NDVI monitoring.
- Disaster Response: Real-time flood and wildfire mapping for rapid aid deployment.
- Urban Intelligence: Infrastructure planning in 40+ cities with 1m accuracy.
Next Steps:
- Khayyam-2 (2027): 0.5m resolution + hyperspectral payload.
- Constellation Build: 4-satellite fleet by 2030 for 2-hour global revisit.
- Commercial Platform: Launch of “IranGeo” portal for global data sales.
With 15+ satellites in orbit and 12 more in assembly, Iran’s EO ecosystem is creating 5,000+ high-skill jobs in data science, AI, and satellite operations.
Business Lens: Khayyam’s Gateway to the $100B Geoint Market
At Our Milky Way Galaxy, Khayyam represents commercial-grade space intelligence at scale—its 1m imagery pipeline mirrors our lunar resource mapping and asteroid prospecting platforms:
- Data Monetization Engine: $1.5B potential in annual EO sales via tiered access (gov, enterprise, startup).
- AI-Ready Feeds: Onboard processing enables 7x faster analytics—ideal for ISRU site selection and change detection.
- Global Partnerships: Co-tasking with international operators unlocks $4B in shared constellation revenue.
Khayyam proves: High-res EO is a trillion-dollar gateway—Iran’s space data industry, now valued at $6.5B annually, is open for joint ventures in imagery, analytics, and AI-driven insights.
See the World Through Khayyam
Khayyam invites data leaders: Agtech firms, urban planners, insurers, defense integrators—access its 1m archive or task live imaging. From custom datasets to API integrations, your next decision starts in orbit.
✦ Access Khayyam Data Partnerships ✦