TEHRAN – Development of space industry requires national willpower, Communications and Information Technology Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi has said.

There are several institutes in Iran who are active in the field of space studies, however, sometimes they are working in parallel due to lack of appropriate connections, ILNA quoted the minister as saying at the Iranian Supreme Council of Space Strategic Committee meeting on Tuesday.

A coherence should be established between space institutes in the future, he said.

Azari Jahromi extolled the young human resources who do their best to boost space industry.

“We should regard the potential capacity of Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO) and space diplomacy in order to cooperate with other countries,” he said.

He also talked about the second ten-year program for space development, which began from 2016. 

He defined the value chain of space industry as one of the main projects for the second ten-year program, which includes research and development, producers, satellite operators and service suppliers.

Headed by President Hassan Rouhani, the Supreme Council of Space observe activities of Iran Space Agency, which mandated to cover and support all the activities in Iran concerning the peaceful applications of space science and technology.

The Council’s main goals included policy making for the application of space technologies aiming peaceful uses of outer space, manufacturing, launching and use of the national research satellites, approving the space related state and private sector programs, promoting the partnership of the private and cooperative sectors in efficient uses of space, and identifying guidelines concerning the regional and international cooperation in space issues.

To follow and implement the strategies set by the Council, ISA affiliated with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in the form of an autonomous organization, was organized. 

SB/MQ/MG