Iran space achievements attest to Western sanctions failure

Speaking at the second meeting of the country's Supreme Space Council in Tehran, the president noted that Iran was one of the few countries that achieved the technology of launching spacecraft.

"Further progress by the country in the field of placing satellites into the Earth's orbit would neutralize the enemies' plots in the area of broadcasting anti-Iranian television and satellite channels," he stated.

The president also pointed to the enemy's efforts to portray Iran's space achievements as limited to military purposes. Raeisi said the space industry is among the country's assets and also among the propelling industries, whose advancement alongside other industries and sciences, would contribute to the enhancement of the country's overall strength.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he added, "Space sciences and industries are, today, one of the world's booming economic and commercial arenas," expressing the necessity of "commercialization of this science and industry."

Iran launched its first satellite Omid (Hope) in 2009 and its Rasad (Observation) satellite was sent into orbit in 2011.

In 2012, Iran successfully put its third domestically-made satellite, Navid (Good News), into orbit.

In April 2020, the country announced the successful launch of its first military satellite into orbit. And in March 2022, it blasted its second military satellite into space.

Also in August 2022, Iran launched Khayyam, a high-resolution imaging satellite, into orbit. The satellite was sent into space from the Moscow-operated Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, utilizing a Soyuz 2.1 B rocket.