Officials with Iran Space Agency participated in the two-day United Nations’ 61st Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) at the Vienna International Center.
According to ICT Ministry’s website, during talks with the committee’s Secretary-General Li Xinjun on the sidelines of the CUPOUS summit in Vienna on June 20, ISA Director Morteza Barari outlined Iran’s interest in promoting the county’s cooperation with the international organization.
Barari also met with Thomas Djamaluddin, head of Indonesian National Institute of Aeronautics and Space known as LAPAN, who was only recently appointed as acting chairman of the CUPOUS summit.
After extending congratulations to Djamaluddin, Barari recalled the two nations’ exposure to natural disasters, highlighting the need to upgrade and exchange the know-how on space and remote sensing technologies as a means to prevent or control the impact of such calamities.
The two officials signed a memorandum of understanding which calls for joint development of telecom satellites and microsatellites.
Moreover, Iranian space authorities held talks with South African officials, regarding potential collaborations.
The two-day event featuring UNISPACE+50, the 50th anniversary of the Conference on Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, was held on June 20 and 21.
The COPUOS was established in 1959 as an ad hoc committee. Later in the same year, it was formally established by United Nations Resolution 1472 (XIV).
Other Activities
In addition to the COPUOS, Iran is a member of Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO). Through collaborations with the international entity, the country is trying to boost its scientific activities in the field.
Backed by the academia, Iran has collaborated in several APSCO projects namely Small Student Satellite (SSS), Small Multi-Mission Satellite (SMMS) and the Asia-Pacific ground-base Optical Satellite Observation System (APOSOS).
The SSS project is designed for developing a small satellite focusing on the practical training of small satellite design and development.
The objective of the SMMS project is to integrate the existing resources and capabilities of APSCO member states, in order to achieve common benefits in the field of space technology development and satellite remote sensing.
APOSOS aims to develop a unified space observation network based on optical trackers in APSCO member states.
