Iran will develop three satellites before the end of the current fiscal year (March 19, 2020) comes to an end, Iranian Space Agency’s chief said.
“Despite [US] sanctions against Tehran, Iran is set to develop three satellites before the current Iranian year ends,” ISA Director Morteza Barari was also quoted as saying on ICT Ministry’s website.
Calling space sciences and the country’s space program a strategic field, Barari said Iran has made remarkable headway in the field.
According to the ISA director, the space program includes satellite data analysis and “can and must play a pivotal role in countering natural and manmade disasters”.
Barari noted that space industries can contribute to the country’s economic development, while singling out the pivotal role satellite imagery and analysis can play in crop management.
“There is no need to emphasize the importance of satellite data in navigation and trade,” he said.
Iran had attempted to put two satellites—Dousti and Payam—into orbit over the past months, which failed.
Dousti (friendship in Persian) was a locally-made micro-class 52-kg satellite that was put into orbit at an altitude of between 250 km and 310 km. It reportedly had a spatial resolution of 10 meters.
Payam (message in Persian), a micro-class 100-kg non-military satellite, was to orbit about 500-600 km above the Earth's surface and undertake imagery and telecom tasks.
According to officials, another launch has been planned for the near future. A satellite dubbed Nahid1 is reportedly ready and will be delivered to the Defense Ministry for launch. Nahid1 is to orbit the Earth at an altitude of 250 km.
Another satellite, Pars1, will be ready by early 2020. Iranian scientists are working on a satellite named Zafar as well.
The Iranian Space Research Center is also developing Nahid2 for communication purposes.
