Alwaght-Iran inaugurated a national space center on Thursday followed by a successful test-launch of an indigenous satellite carrier dubbed Simorgh.
The center, home to Iran’s first fixed launch platform, administrates the development, launch, and navigation of Iranian satellite carriers.
Designed and built in compliance with international standards, the Imam Khomeini National Space Center is going to handle all space projects in the low Earth orbit (LEO).
Imam Khomeini National Space Center immediately launched its activities by test-firing Simorgh satellite carrier.
The satellite carrier that was successfully launched is able to put satellites weighing as much as 250 kilograms at an orbit about 500 kilometers above the Earth’s surface.
Over the last decade, Iran has made major breakthrough the space technology courtesy of tireless efforts by local scientists despite the country being under unjust sanctions imposed by the US and its allies.
Iran launched its first locally-built satellite, Omid, in 2009. The country also sent its first bio-capsule containing living creatures into space in February 2010, using Kavoshgar-3 (Explorer-3) carrier.
During the ninth National Space Technology Day marked on first February this year, an exhibition was mounted in Tehran on space achievements.
During event attended by President Hassan Rouhani, the domestically-designed Nahid (Venus) 1 telecommunications satellite, and student-manufactured Cube satellite were unveiled.
Nahid 1 has been manufactured at Iran’s Space Research Center. Through its production, the country has sought to hone its capabilities in building geosynchronous satellites. The solar-powered satellite is designed to provide telecommunication and imaging services.
Among other achievements put on display were the surveillance-imaging Payam-e-Amirkabir satellite, designed and built by Iran’s Amirkabir University of Technology and Saman 1 Orbital Maneuver System, which can be used to change satellite orbit.
The country is one of the 24 founding members of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, which was set up in 1959.
