ICT Minister: Space industry to meet national development needs

Speaking in a ceremony to mark the Space Technology Day, he hailed the country’s achievements in the field of space industry and said, “Successful experience in this field has shown that institutional synergy and overcoming individual-centered views have paved the way for the realization of strategic achievements for the country”.

“This model can be adopted in other sectors as well,” he added.

Hashemi also stated that space industry is one of the fields in which teamwork has been institutionalized in practice.

"A significant part of the country's space achievements are the result of collective cooperation and network cooperation among government institutions, research institutes, universities, and knowledge-based companies."

Strategic role of satellites

Hashemi referred to remote-sensing and telecommunications as two main functions of the space industry and said, "In the field of remote-sensing satellites, Iran has passed the stage of technological development and reached technological stabilization – a path that according to experts in this field is the realization of dreams that had been worked on for years."

"In the field of telecommunications, projects such as Nahid 2 satellite, with the participation of the Iran Space Research Institute and more than 30 knowledge-based companies, are an important step in the development of space-based communications," the minister added.

Meeting national needs

Hashemi also emphasized the national applications of remote-sensing satellites and stated, “Land management, completion of cadastre records, monitoring water resources, preventing the destruction of national lands, and blocking corruption-causing sources are among the needs that cannot be responded to without using the capacity of remote-sensing satellites.”

“Measures taken in this regard are not sufficient and must gain more momentum,” he stressed.

He cited a number of objectives of the Seventh Development Plan and said, “So far, about 80 percent of villages with more than 20 households have been connected to a communication network of appropriate quality.”

“But in certain areas, the development of terrestrial communications is not responsive, and the use of space-based communications capacity has become a necessity."

Toward GEO orbit

The ICT Minister also introduced the development of satellite systems and the deployment of satellites in GEO orbit as two complementary paths to meet the country's communication needs.

“It provides instant access to data and images which has been pursued through domestic capacity and cooperation with like-minded countries."

Referring to economic outlook of the government regarding the space industry, Hashemi noted, "There is a capacity to form a space-based economy in the country, and the ICT Ministry is ready to make targeted and continuous investments to achieve this goal."

Hashemi stressed the need for accuracy and resolution of the images received from Paya satellite  and said, “Next year, we will see more versions of Pars satellites.”

Instant access to images

The ICT Minister considered the launch of numerous ground satellite communication centers including Salmas and Chenaran important for continued communication with satellites and said, "The main solution is access to satellite systems that allow us to have the images needed from the country in real time."

He said international cooperation was important for the development of the space industry and added, "We must be able to have strategic partnership with friendly countries from the perspective of technology transfer in order to move this path faster."

In conclusion, Hashemi appreciated the efforts of researchers, elites, and experts in the country's space industry, and considered their achievements due to their round-the-clock endeavors.

He expressed hope that by continuing the path, Iran's space industry will play a more prominent role in national development and in serving the people.