Iran is getting ready to put 2 new sattelites into orbit, Seyyed Hossein Mousavi, an advisor to head of the Iranian Space Agency stressed in an interview released by the Iranian media on January 14.
“It is fortunate to say that we are in very good conditions in terms of developing satellite technology and launch among regional countries, and due to sanctions imposed on our country, our goal is to become self-sufficient in this field,” he said
Mousavi claimed that the Iran capabilities of putting Payam (Message) and Doosti (Friendship) satellites into orbin show the country’s progress in the field of satellite technology and science. He further stressed that Iran is the leading Middle Eastern country, which is ative in the space field of manufacturing satellite launchers.
“No foreign country has provided us with space technology and this is purely domestic know-how,” he said.
According to the interview, Payam is capable of taking high-resolution images. The sattelite will last in orbit for a period of two years. Mousavi said that this can be then used for agricultural development purposes, studying vegetation and forests, silviculture and other peaceful goals.
At the same time, the US-Israeli-led bloc is concerned that Iran’s space program is a sign of the country’s growing missile capabilities and thus a threat to the Israeli-US dominance in the region.
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