Iranian participated in the space race with USA, China and Russia According to Tehran Times, the country marked its entry into the world of space exploration by launching the first specially developed satellites into space.

The specially developed Kowsar and Hodhod satellites were launched into orbit on Tuesday aboard the Russian rocket Soyuz, which also carries two Russian Ionosphere-M Earth observation satellites and others. Associated Press.

The launch of the satellites by a Russian rocket also points to the growing relationship between the two countries.

news week Reached out to the Iranian Space Agency via email for comment.

Faghih Imani, CEO of the company behind the creation of the satellites, stated that the development process took 15 years and said, “This is just the beginning for us, from now on we are only moving forward.”

The high-resolution detection Kowsar satellite, which has a lifespan of three and a half years, is intended to be used for agriculture, natural resource management, environmental monitoring and disaster response.

Although the Hodhod satellite is smaller, it is used for communications aimed at supporting transportation, logistics and environmental monitoring, as well as agriculture by improving satellite communications networks.

Although it is not the first time Iran has launched a satellite into space, it is the first time the country has done so through the private sector.

A Russian rocket also launched the Iranian satellite Khayyam in 2022 and sent another Iranian satellite, Pars-1, into space in February.

The country also launched a research satellite called Madha earlier this year and uses its own vehicle launcher called Simorgh.

The successful launch of Madha into space comes after five previous unsuccessful launches of Simorgh.

Explaining the launch of two satellites on Tuesday, Iranian Space Agency President Hassan Salarieh said, “Achieving important goals in this field cannot be achieved without the strong participation of private initiatives. We believe that the private sector should enter this field faster.” “Taking into consideration the competitive environment and market criteria.”

The official said that the country plans to launch five to seven satellites through the government and private sector by March, and “With each launch, we are getting closer to joining space giants such as Russia, China and the United States.”

Russia-Iran relations are developing steadily In recent years in many sectors, including defense and economy.

Relations have particularly improved since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022, thanks to Tehran’s influence. Shahed provides unmanned aerial vehicles to Moscow.

Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian met with Russian President Vladimir Putin “Last month, we stated that they discussed bilateral issues and that relations between the two countries are gradually improving.”stronger day by day“

While explaining Russia’s relations with Iran, Putin said“We actively work together on the international stage, and our assessments of current events in the world are often very close to each other.”

The two countries are expected to sign a partnership agreement in the near future that will focus on strengthening military and security ties.

Talking about the partnership agreement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, “This will confirm the desire of the parties to cooperate more closely in the field of defense and interact in the interests of peace and security at the regional and global level.” he said.