TEHRAN – Iranian Space Agency President Ahmad Talebzadeh said here on Tuesday that ISA plans to send two new research rockets into space following the successful test of Researcher One rocket on Feb. 4.

Iran on Sunday announced that the Researcher One is sending data back to earth from an altitude of up to 250 kilometers.
The rocket is planned to carry the first homemade satellite named Omid (Hope) into orbit in the next Iranian calendar year (begins March 20).
“The Researcher Two and Researcher Three rockets which have been designed and manufactured by Iranian experts will be sent into space in the near future,” Talebzadeh told the Mehr News Agency.
He said Iran is seeking to build more satellites to meet the country’s demands especially in the transmission of data and telecommunications.
“Our country needs to collect information via remote sensing satellites. Our people are seriously exposed to natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, and droughts and we need to obtain information in order to prepare for these catastrophes.”
“We also need to gather information via satellites in order to monitor environment pollution, discover mines, and fulfill many other needs of the country,” the ISA president added.
Talebzadeh dismissed allegation by certain Western powers that Tehran’s efforts in space technology are aimed at making weapons, saying the country’s space activities are “absolutely peaceful”.
“The technologies required for launching a space rocket are similar to the technologies used in a long-range ballistic missile, and the allegations show that we have moved in the right direction.”
The ISA has signed some agreements with a number of local universities to conduct research on designing and manufacturing satellites, he stated