An Iranian delegation, headed by Iranian Vice President for Science and Technology Sorena Sattari, visited Moscow to explore opportunities for cooperation in the fields of aerospace, biotechnology and nanotechnology.
Visiting MAKS International Aviation and Space Show of Moscow, Sattari met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. More than 40 Iranian firms specialized in the field of space technology presented their latest achievements in the aerospace exhibition.
To further expand cooperation in technical and defense realms, Iran and Russia carried out negotiations with focus on the Sukhoi Su-30MKI all-weather, long-range fighter jet, IRNA reported. According to Sattari, negotiations on the Sukhoi jet were mainly focused on "technical matters and technologies—not sales".
The Iranian vice president also met with Russian Minister of Trade and Industry Denis Manturov and the two sides signed 10 memoranda of understanding.
During the meeting, it was announced that Manturov will visit Iran in December when an exclusive exhibition of Russian industries will be held in Tehran, Mehr News Agency reported.
While calling on Iranian investors for closer participation in Russia’s economic projects, especially those related to infrastructure, the Russian minister added that the two countries have signed an initial cooperation agreement for engineering development programs, industrial parks and centers as well as joint aircraft production.
Aerospace
Two Russian space companies have signed a cooperation agreement with an Iranian corporation, clearing the way for the creation of an Iranian satellite observation system.
Based on the agreement, Russian companies will help Iran create its own remote-sensing system for gathering information about the Earth's surface, atmosphere and oceans, RT wrote.
Russian company NPK BARL will be responsible for building and adapting the system’s ground infrastructure, while another Russian company, VNIIEM, is tasked with building and launching the satellites. Iran’s Bonyan Danesh Shargh will be the operating company.
“The pre-contractual arrangement covers the development of an earth remote-sensing system based on an upgraded version of the Kanopus-V1 (Canopus-B) observation satellite,” Russia’s VNIIEM Corporation CEO Leonid Makridenko said, as cited by RIA Novosti.
"The launch on a Russian Soyuz carrier rocket is tentatively scheduled for 2018," he added.
The agreement was signed in the presence of Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin and Roscosmos General Director Igor Komarov, according to the Roscosmos statement.
This is not the first case of scientific cooperation between Russia and Iran. Russia's Ministry for Atomic Energy signed a cooperation agreement with Iran on the construction of Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in southern Iran over a decade ago. The nuclear plant is the first one in the Middle East overseen by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
In addition, the Iranian space program is developing rapidly. The first Iranian satellite Sina-1 was launched in 2005 from the Russian spaceport Plesetsk on October 28, 2005. Four years later, the Islamic Republic launched its second satellite from an Iranian spaceport. In 2010, Iran launched a rocket with creatures such as mice, tortoises and worms. Two years ago, the country sent two monkeys into space who returned safely.
