TEHRAN -- A new satellite named ‘Dousti’, literally meaning ‘friendship’, has been manufactured domestically and its ground stations have already been built, the head of the Iranian Space Agency announced on his Instagram account, Mehr reported on Monday.

Morteza Barari added that the satellite has been designed and developed at the Sharif University of Technology.

Over 150 experts in different fields of electronics, aerospace, computer science, mechanics and industry from five faculties manufactured the satellite, he announced.

“The satellite has been successfully tested and I extend my thanks to all experts who were involved in the project,” he said.

The satellite takes images with better than 30 meter resolution, investigate of vegetation and monitors water resources, he added.

In early October, Barari expressed the hope that the satellites will be placed into earth’s orbit by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2019), IRNA reported.

Dousti will be placed into the orbit 500 kilometers above the earth’s surface, he announced.

SB/MQ/MG