TEHRAN – When Iran established its new political system in 1979, its leaders placed a paramount emphasis on achieving independence. This pursuit faced numerous hurdles over the decades that followed, a period during which the country endured two wars, countless terrorist attacks, and, most critically, debilitating Western sanctions. Nevertheless, as we stand on the cusp of 2026, the independence Iranians once dreamed of has been realized in various sectors, partly because the country possessed no other option. 

Iran's military stands as its most prominent example of domestic growth and development, alongside achievements in urban engineering, food production, and medicine. Yet, outside of its military, Iran significantly lags in certain high-technology industries like automotive, despite the huge sums it has poured into its car factories. However, among these expensive, high-tech industries, the country still has the success of its space program to take pride in. Despite considerable odds and challenges, Iran is today among the 10 or 11 nations capable of independently building satellites, satellite launch vehicles, and their subsystems.

Iranians began considering the development of a space program around the year 2000, following advances in electronic and military domains where technologies similar to those used in space industries can be found. New initiatives took off through the joint cooperation of the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Defense Ministry. In 2004, Iran established its first space organization, the Iranian Space Agency (ISA), as explained by Hassan Salariyeh, the current head of the ISA, who has led the agency for the past four years.

“The technology employed in initial launches was rudimentary compared to current Iranian capabilities and the standards of other nations at that time. A key milestone occurred in 2009 with the launch of the first Iranian satellite via the Safir rocket," he stated in an interview with the Tehran Times. 

After the 2009 launch, slightly more advanced satellites were introduced in 2011, 2012, and 2015. A lull in both the quantity and quality of satellite launches appeared to follow for several years, until 2020, when the first of three Nour satellites was launched, with the other two reaching orbit within the next two years. In 2022, Iran also launched Khayyam, a high-resolution Earth observation satellite, marking the country's largest technological leap to that date.

Then, a sustained operational cadence was achieved in 2024, a year in which Iran sent a total of 20 satellites into space.

Regarding satellite launch vehicles, three rockets have been designed and used after Safir: namely, the Simorgh, Qassed, and Zuljanah. Iran has also tested and developed numerous subsystems, as demonstrated by the launch of the Nahid-2 telecommunications satellite this past July.

We interviewed Salariyeh a few days before Iran launched three new satellites into orbit on Sunday, including the Paya. At approximately 150 kilograms, the Paya is the country's heaviest Earth-observation satellite to date. At the time of our conversation, Iran had already launched 30 satellites into space. Sunday's launches increased that cumulative total to 33, marking all the satellites Iran has sent into orbit since the inception of its space program.

The achievements of the space industry in recent years have now made Salariyeh a nationally recognized figure. He first became involved in space work as a young undergraduate student at the prestigious Sharif University of Technology. The ISA chief majored in mechanical engineering, later earning a master’s and a PhD in the field, but was drawn to space technology, “like many young people". A look at the academic papers he has published over the years shows he has maintained that interest. 

"In the late 1990s, we worked on projects that were later used by government bodies. Many students took part in them," he recalled.

Among Generation Z in Iran, there is a stereotype about students who enroll at Sharif. The day I spoke with Salariyeh, he fit many of those stereotypes despite belonging to a different generation: he spoke about science as if it were the most fascinating topic in the world and was eager to convey its importance.

Despite his engineering background, Salariyeh spoke extensively about business. He said the Space Agency aims to make the private sector a dominant force in the field—a process he noted has occurred in all major space industries worldwide, including in Russia, China, and the U.S.

"The private sector is always faster than any governmental body. But when an industry is emerging, government bodies need to mitigate risks and invest in projects. For instance, that’s what we did with the Kowsar satellite."

The Kowsar satellite was first launched in 2024, with Sunday's launch marking the deployment of its second, more advanced version. It was built by a private company named Space Omid. The ISA encouraged Kowsar's development by committing to purchase its imagery for the first few years.

"I believe the government must do two major things: encourage the private sector by reducing project risks, and also build infrastructure. This second goal is being achieved with the construction of the Chabahar Space Base."

Located in Iran's southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan Province, the Chabahar Space Base is a 5x5 hectare low Earth orbit launch site. Phase 1 is planned to open in 2026. In Phase 2, the launch site is expected to accommodate space launches for foreign satellites as well. Phase 3 will enable launches using solid-fuel rockets.

In line with the ISA's 10-year space program, the Chabahar Space Center is scheduled to be fully operational and capable of conducting international space launches by the end of March 2031.

"The Space Agency devises five-year and ten-year plans. Apart from the Chabahar base, we are developing and building higher-technology satellites and satellite launch vehicles. Growth in the space industry is gradual, but constant,” Salariyeh explained.

Some reports suggest that within 10 years, Iran hopes to achieve ten launches per month to become a commercial industry. It also aims to place its satellites in geostationary orbit (GEO) in the coming years. Space research is another goal, which Salariyeh said will be pursued through new projects soon.