A new locally developed satellite was unveiled late Wednesday on the occasion of National Technology Day in Iran.
The "Friendship Satellite" was introduced in the presence of President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran, IRNA reported.
Weighing 50 kilograms and developed by Iran's Space Agency, the miniaturized satellite is expected to be placed in a low earth orbit by March 2017.
With the motto "Balanced Development, Bright Future", the event was attended by top officials, such as the head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Ali Akbar Salehi, Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mahmoud Vaezi and Vice President for Science and Technology Sorena Sattari.
The remote sensing laboratory of ISA was launched on the same occasion, which is expected to deliver a range of services such as spectroscopy and radiometry.
In line with plans for developing space technologies, a Space Systems Integration and Satellite Testing Center affiliated to Iran's Space Research Center also officially started operation.
With nine laboratories and one space workshop, the center has been launched to help develop space services. More than 80% of the center's equipment have been designed by Iranian specialists.
The center is prepared to deliver laboratory services in a range of areas, including aerospace, nautical, aviation, automotive and telecom.
On the sidelines of the event, Manouchehr Manteqi, the head of National Space Center, noted that Iranian universities have made "marvelous achievements" in developing space sciences.
“We expect to use all the potentials we have developed during the post-sanctions era by engaging with the world,” he said.
