Mere days after Iran announced the launch of its first-ever military satellite, an amateur radio operator from Russia named Dmitry Pashkov announced that he had managed to intercept its signals.
As Pashkov himself explained, he was able to receive the signal "in the raw", managing to decipher the satellite's telemetry "a bit".
"With some effort, it would be possible to translate what the satellite is transmitting into concrete parameters", he claimed.
The radio operator added that he was surprised by the fact that the signal is apparently being broadcast on a 400 MHz frequency with FSK modulation, suggesting that the satellite's transmitting module is similar to gear made in Europe and China.
"Judging by the emblem on the craft, seen in the video of the launch, it is a simple 6U CubeSat, 20 by 30 centimeters", Pashkov mused.
On April 22, Iran launched its Noor-1 (‘Light-1’ in Farsi) satellite, marking a significant breakthrough in the country's space program.
The Iranian authorities have provided very little information about the Noor-1’s capabilities, merely describing the craft as a "multi-purpose satellite with special uses in the defense sector."