Several New Iranian Satellites Prepared for Launch: Official
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran has already three homegrown satellites ready for launch, deputy head of the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) announced, saying a fourth one, dubbed the Nahid (Venus) will be ready for launch until the current Iranian year’s end (March 20, 2015).
The domestically-made Sharifsat, Tadbir (Prudence), and Fajr (Dawn) satellites, manufactured respectively by Sharif University of Technology, Iran University of Science and Technology and Iran Electronics Industries (IEI) company are prepared for launch, Hamid Fazeli told reporters in Tehran on Monday.
He added that the country’s Nahid satellite will be ready for blast-off on board 'Safir B-1' satellite carrier by the end of this year.
Iran has in recent years made great headways in manufacturing satellites thanks to the efforts by its local space scientists.
The country successfully launched its first indigenous data-processing satellite, Omid (Hope), into orbit back in 2009.
As part of a comprehensive plan to develop its space program, Iran also successfully launched its second satellite, dubbed Rassad (Observation), into the earth's orbit in June 2011. Rassad's mission was to take images of the earth and transmit them along with telemetry information to ground stations.
The country launched its domestically-built Navid-e Elm-o Sanat (Harbinger of Science and Industry) satellite into orbit in February 2012.
In January 2013, Iran sent a monkey into space aboard an indigenous bio-capsule code-named Pishgam (Pioneer).
And later in December 2013, the country’s scientists could successfully send a monkey, called ‘Fargam’ or Auspicious, into space aboard Pajoheshan (Research) indigenous rocket and return the live simian back to earth safely.