From Power in Space to Prosperity on Earth

He added that space technology is “one of the main pillars of this integration”.

The following is full text of the ICT minister's article which was published after Iran successfully launched three indigenous remote-sensing satellites on a Russian Soyuz rocket on Sunday:

 “Today, space technology is no longer merely a tool with specific and limited applications for national technological power; rather, it has become a vital and undeniable component of resource management and smart governance. In this regard, a series of special measures implemented over the past year signal the country’s space industry moving from the stage of technology stabilization to industrial applicability and a space-based economy.

In other words, the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology is now undergoing a major paradigm shift from space for space to space for Earth. What matters at this juncture is changing the perception of space as an economic and managerial ecosystem capable of helping resolve the country’s major challenges in agriculture, crisis management, mining, and other sectors that benefit from the spillover of space-based technologies.

“Faraz”: The link between Government and the private sector

One of the main pillars of the ICT Ministry’s new strategy is the development of comprehensive platforms for the commercialization of space data. To this end, scientists and specialists at the Iranian Space Agency and the Iranian Space Research Institute have sought to empower private companies providing satellite imagery and aerial remote-sensing operators by creating constructive interaction among user interfaces, data infrastructure, and processing engines. This represents new steps toward the democratization of the space industry and a reduction of government dominance in service layers.

To operationalize this approach, the “Faraz Platform,” now serving as the beating heart of this ecosystem, has integrated data, processing, and technology layers to provide a framework in which knowledge-based companies and image-analysis algorithm development teams can create value-added services based on sovereign infrastructure.

The all-seeing eye of crisis management and food security

In the next step, the development of observatory infrastructures, Earth observation technologies, and remote-sensing systems has enabled the direct use of space data to address the country’s real-world challenges. Today, space technology plays a key role in confronting global and national issues such as climate change, water resource management, food security, agriculture, the environment, and communications. Satellite data and remote-sensing-based analyses now provide managers and policymakers with accurate, rapid, and cost-effective decision-making tools.

In the field of crisis management as well, space-based technologies have made it possible to continuously and comprehensively identify and monitor wildfires, floods, dust storms, air pollution, and droughts. The design and implementation of nine remote-sensing monitoring systems — ranging from tracking changes in forests and water bodies to monitoring the cultivation areas of strategic, food-security-related crops such as wheat, rice, barley, rapeseed, corn, and sugar beet — illustrate the country’s systematic move toward data-driven governance.

Precision agriculture and smart mining

Precision agriculture, as one of the country’s strategic priorities, is not feasible without reliance on space technology. Remote sensing, with its wide coverage, suitable accuracy, and reasonable cost, is the main tool for increasing productivity, reducing resource consumption, and enhancing food security. In the mining and geology sectors as well, the identification of potential areas, monitoring of extraction activities, and assessment of environmental impacts are increasingly dependent on space data.

Technology Diplomacy: Beyond borders

Alongside the development of domestic capabilities, targeted technology diplomacy is also an inseparable part of strengthening the country’s space strategy. Expanding cooperation with Russia’s space industry, becoming familiar with that country’s industrial and research capacities, signing memoranda of understanding, and preparing the groundwork for executive contracts have created new opportunities for the joint development of satellites and subsystems, as well as participation in major space projects, including GEO and LEO constellations. In addition, the exchange of remote-sensing data and imagery — such as the sale of images from the Khayyam satellite and meeting national needs through reputable international sources — has been defined within this same framework.

Human Capital: The guarantor of the space industry’s survival

As part of this comprehensive, forward-looking, and long-term approach, the Iranian Space Research Institute — one of the scientific and executive arms of the ICT Ministry in this field — has now focused on developing the entire value chain of space technology, a chain that begins with outreach and culture-building and extends to industrial, economic, and public-service applications.

Within this framework, the establishment of the National Center for Space Promotion has been pursued with the objective of familiarizing the younger generation with modern sciences and technologies, increasing public appeal and understanding of space, and turning space outreach into a public culture. This is because the sustainable future of this strategic industry is inconceivable without attracting informed, creative, and motivated human capital.

Concluding Remarks: The future depends on linking technology and implementation

Ultimately, the perspective of the Government of President Masoud Pezeshkian and the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology on space technology is a practical, economic outlook, based on providing sustainable services to the public, executive bodies, the private sector, and national industry — an outlook that, despite heavy and unjust sanctions, is advancing through smart planning and maximum reliance on domestic capabilities.

In this context, the formation of a broad network of institutional partners — including the Planning and Budget Organization, the Ministry of Agriculture, crisis management organizations, meteorological services, mapping agencies, land and property registration bodies, ports authorities, provincial governments, and municipalities — and the growing demand from various institutions for space-based services are clear signs that the country has entered the phase of effective utilization of this strategic technology.

We believe that the future of Iran’s development depends on a deep integration of science, technology, and smart governance, and that space technology is one of the main pillars of this integration — a pillar that, through precise planning, sustained investment, and trust in domestic capabilities, can become a driving force for the digital economy and for solving the country’s major challenges.”