TEHRAN -- Iran will not hold off development in the field of space technology and cannot wait for other countries to meet its needs, the information and communication technology minister told the Tehran Times during a press conference at the Iranian Space Research Center (ISRC) on Sunday.

Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi said that Iran had not a good experience from international cooperation in the field of space technology.

No country has cooperated in manufacturing satellites with Iran so far, he said.

“However, Iran has built a joint telecommunication satellite, called Mesbah, with Europe and we have been waiting for its launch for years,” he said. 

Mesbah satellite was built in collaboration with Italy's Carlo Gavazzi Space SpA (CGS) in 1998 and was unveiled in 2005.

The satellite has been ready for launch for more than ten years in Europe, he lamented.

Payam, Dousti and Nahid satellites have passed pre-launch testing and are ready to be launched.

Dousti satellite is ready for launch and Payam satellite passed technical testing on Friday, which are imagery satellites with a resolution of less than 50 meters.

Satellites are for peaceful purposes

The three satellites recently manufactured in Iran are completely for peaceful purposes, he said.

The satellites improve standard of living, food and water resources security, which are the most important aims for the government, he added.

“We cannot wait for other countries to launch our satellites. That is nonsense that some countries stated that Iran should not improve.”

“The ICT Ministry does its best for promotion of peaceful satellite technology,” he explained.

The Ministry of Defense is responsible for sending satellites into orbit and they are more qualified for setting times to launch the satellites. 

Dousti satellite will be sent to 250 km orbit using Safir satellite-carrier rocket and Payam satellite will be sent into orbit by Simorgh satellite, he added.

ISRC cooperates with aerospace experts

The ISRC cooperate with 13 universities, 20 professors and over 180 post-graduate students in aerospace, the ISRC Chairman Hossein Samimi said during the press conference.

The ISRC provides equipped laboratories as main infrastructures, he said.

The center is responsible for manufacturing remote sensing and telecommunication satellites as well as space-based researches, he explained.

Commercial space technologies era

Space economy is one of the main issues in the world today, head of the Iranian Space Agency (ISA), Morteza Barari, said during the event.

He said that now is the commercial space technologies era and Iran should develop aerospace knowledge.

The development of space technology will lead to more facilities for nations, he said.

SB/MQ/MG