Minister:

Iran to Send New Satellite into Space Soon

TEHRAN (defapress)- Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi announced on Sunday Iran's plans to launch a new home-made satellite named Dousti (Friendship) into the orbit in the near future.

News ID: 75380

Date: 03 February 2019 - 15:00

"Dousti satellite, manufactured by Sharif University of Technology, with an average resolution of 10 meters will be launched," Azari Jahromi said, addressing a ceremony on the occasion of the National Day of Space Technology in Tehran on Sunday.

He added that another satellite named Zafar, being developed by the University of Science and Technology, should also be completed by the end of summer 2019 and become ready for launch.

Azari Jahromi also rejected certain foreign states' propaganda against Iran's space activities, noting that his nation's space program is fully peaceful and meant for peaceful goals.

Iran is one of the 9 superior states in building satellites beside the US, Russia, Europe and Canada.

Head of the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) Morteza Barari had announced in mid-December that his country's plans to manufacture a home-made telecommunication satellite in the next few years.

"Building an indigenized telecommunication satellite within the next 7 years is atop the ISA's plans," Barari said.

He added that the preliminary steps had already been taken by Iran to manufacture a telecommunication satellite by building Nahid 1 and Nahid 2 satellites.

Barari underlined that Iran also planned to build a sensing satellite with a 1-meter precision power in 7 years.

Barari had also announced in October that his country was standing among the 9 top world countries in developing satellites.

He also added that Iran ranked first in the region in the aerospace sector, explaining that Iran ranked 14th in the world in 2016 but it jumped three grades and ranked 11th in the world in 2017.

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