Iran to Ink Deal on Building National Satellite Soon: Minister

Speaking to reporters on Friday night, Vaezi emphasized that the construction of the national satellite with the cooperation of a foreign satellite manufacturer is on the agenda.

“To that end" Vaezi said "we have entered into talks with some consulting companies to develop technical specifications needed for the construction of the national satellite."

The minister further expressed the hope that the country would finalize and sign the deal in the near future.

Iran has in recent years made great headways in manufacturing satellites thanks to the efforts made by its local scientists.

The country successfully launched into orbit its first indigenous data-processing satellite, Omid (Hope), back on February 2, 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’s third domestically-built Navid-e Elm-o Sanat (Harbinger of Science and Industry) satellite was sent 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 successfully sent a monkey, called ‘Fargam’ or Auspicious, into space aboard Pajoheshan (Research) indigenous rocket and returned the live simian back to earth safely.