Iran plans to build two new satellites, said Iranian Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mahmoud Vaezi.
"A telecommunications satellite will be ready in three years while a remote-sensing satellite is also on the agenda," Vaezi was quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.
He stressed that none of the previously launched aerospace projects will be cancelled. The minister said the telecommunications satellite is going to be Iran’s national satellite to cover a broad range of services from banking to mobile and Internet service providers as well as meteorological services.
Following the parliament’s approval, Iran’s space program started in 2004 and launched its first domestically-made data-processing satellite named Omid (Hope) in 2009.
The country also sent its first bio-capsule containing living creatures into space in February 2010, using the indigenous Kavoshgar-3 (Explorer-3) carrier. Iran is a founding member of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
Vaezi noted that international agreements will be signed to complete satellite missions. "The Communications and Information Technology Ministry will observe the major policy of Resistance Economy and use domestic capabilities as much as possible before resorting to international resources," he said.
Resistance Economy was introduced by Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, which emphasizes minimum reliance on foreign help and optimization of national resources.
