Iran, China has extensive satellite cooperation: Space agency
Iran’s space agency chief said Tehran has several international satellite projects and extensive cooperation with China in its satellite program, the semi-official Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) reported. “We have several international satellite projects, and in the satellite program, we have detailed and good cooperation with China,” Hassan Salarieh, head of the Iranian Space Agency, told ISNA.
He said Iran has various projects in the field of satellite procurement and that joint satellite construction projects are also underway, without providing further details. Salarieh said the Iranian Space Agency, as the country’s space governance body, carries out its projects through private companies, government institutions and research centers. He said international cooperation in technology development takes shape through these entities, and that in some cases the agency directly enters projects, including for satellite procurement or launch services.
The country is preparing to take a major step toward developing satellite constellations, with three satellites set to be unveiled and launched as part of the country’s expanding space program, the minister of information and communications technology said last week. Sattar Hashemi said three of the 24 satellites in the country’s Shahid Soleimani constellation are ready, which will be unveiled during the Islamic Revolution celebrations in February 2027 and placed into orbit before March 20, marking a shift toward satellite constellations, according to IRNA.
Hashemi called for space policymaking to move from a supply-driven approach toward demand-driven development. He said technology is more valuable when users and societal needs are considered. Separately, Salarieh said Iran uses astronomical instruments to determine and update satellite orbits. He said such tools are used particularly for orbit determination and position updates, and can be used to locate a satellite if a launch is disrupted or its orbit is unclear.