TEHRAN – The Iranian Space Agency (ISA), the Iranian Space Research Center and the National Innovation Fund signed an agreement in Tehran on Tuesday to promote the use of space technology in different fields.

ISA Director Morteza Barari, the head of the Iranian Space Research Center Hossein Samimi, and the head of the National Innovation Fund Ali Vahdat signed the tripartite agreement at the closing ceremony of the space products exhibition, which was held from July 7 to 9.

Iranian knowledge-based companies and startups active in the field of space technology attended the event organized jointly by the National Innovation Fund and the Iranian Space Research Center.

Development and commercialization of space technology, space-based services, and related industries in order to boost services and products of space technology were also mentioned in the agreement.

The agreement aims to create a network for space technology startups with other organizations and companies.

A series of meetings on IT and innovation will be also held on the sidelines of the event.

-------- ICT ministry promotes space technology

The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Ministry supports and develops different usage of space technology, ICT minister said during the signing ceremony.

Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi said that the ISA has promoted the usage of space technology in different fields during the past 18 months.

He named government monopoly as one of the factors which hinder the development of space technology in the country.

The open-source space data should be provided for the private sector and the startups should be supported with training and development of the market as well as providing financial facilities, he added.

Azari Jahromi said that the government should boost space technology, in addition, to make legislation in the age of the digital economy.

The private sector can also launch satellites into space with the flag of Iran, he said.

“I am sure that the private sector has the ability to launch satellites in a short time,” he added.

He pointed to the assessment of the damage caused by flood on agricultural products in the country via space technology as one of the main recent achievements in this field.

In May, a precise assessment of damage caused by flood on agricultural products was done by space technology and the result was submitted to the Ministry of Interior.

In the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21), provinces of Fars, Lorestan, North Khorasan, Golestan, Mazandaran, Hamedan, Khuzestan, Kermanshah, Semnan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad and Khorasan Razavi were hit hard by devastating floods incurring a dramatic loss.

Azari Jahromi said that space technology can be a great help for the agricultural industry which creates jobs for alumni of agricultural engineering as well.

The usage of space technology, which can create jobs and be a great help in natural crises, should be introduced to the public, he added.

The attendance of 180 startups in the three-day event is one of the achievements of the space sector, he said, adding that this attendance is an achievement of ISA in developing the usage of space technology.

He pointed to the establishment of a space technology park in Mazandaran province as one of the main steps which have been taken for the development of space technology.

Efficient systems have been provided in the case of natural crises using space technology and the government aims to support and facilitate startups in this field, he said.

“With the help of motivation and knowledge, startups can expand the space industry to provide convenience for the public.”

National Innovation Fund to financially support space technology

The National Innovation Fund plans to provide financial support for the startups active in the field of space technology and connect related organizations with this emerging market, the head of the fund Ali Vahdat said during the closing ceremony.

The event was attended by 182 startups, of which about 100 startups put their products and services on display during the exhibition, he said.

Meanwhile, representatives of the Ministry of Transport and Urban Development, Tehran Municipality, the Red Crescent Society, the Iranian Space Agency, the Iranian Space Research Center, and the Department of Environment talked about their space-related demands on the sidelines of the meeting.

A number of bilateral meetings were also held between representatives of these organizations and startups.

He said that the startups applied for about two trillion rials (over $47.5 million) worth of financial support and some agreements were signed between the fund and startups during the event, he added.

During the exhibition, startups introduced seven plans which are applicable in different industries.

In March, the head of the Iranian Space Research Center, Hossein Samimi, announced that the center was working on five key projects which were considered as the main achievements of Iran’s space technology.

According to an agreement signed in February between the Iranian Space Research Center and the Ministry of Agriculture, remote sensing satellites are planned to be used in different sections of the agricultural industry,

The center has already provided a map of the cultivated area, which provides more than 95 percent of the national rice market in five provinces.

According to Morgan Stanley, it is estimated that the global space industry could generate revenue of $1.1 trillion or more in 2040, up from $350 billion, currently. Yet, the most significant short- and medium-term opportunities may come from satellite broadband Internet access.

SB/MG