TEHRAN (ISNA)- Head of Iranian Space Organization Mohsen Bahrami said that the country would launch at least one satellite in the current Iranian calendar year, (started on March 21, 2016).

“We will have at least one satellite launch this year based on the planning,” he said.

Bahrami also said that some projects on indigenizing telecommunications and remote-sensing satellites are underway.

Iran has taken long strides in recent years to develop its space industry and to build different types of satellites and explorers.

Last February, Iran’s domestically-made National Fajr (Dawn) Satellite was launched into orbit and started transmitting data to its stations on earth.

The satellite made its first contact with its ground stations hours after it was put into the orbit.

Fajr satellite is technically characterized by an orbit which could promote from 250 to 450 kilometers through a thruster or an engine.

Equipped with GPS navigation system, Fajr, weighing 52 kilos, is the fourth Iranian-made satellite which was put into orbit after three others between 2009 and 2012.

After Iran launched its first locally-built satellite, Omid (Hope), in 2009, it put two other satellites including, Rasad (Observation), and Navid-e Elm-o Sanat (Harbinger of Science and Industry) into space.

By ISNA