TEHRAN – Iran is among the select group of countries capable of fully building and launching satellites, according to Hassan Salarieh, head of Iran’s Space Agency. 
Speaking in an interview with Tasnim News Agency, Salarieh said only about 10 percent of the world’s more than 200 countries have the technological capacity to produce both satellites and launch vehicles.
Salarieh listed countries such as Russia, China, the United States, Japan, and some European nations among this exclusive group, describing them as long-standing leaders in the space industry. 
He said Iran has made significant strides by relying on domestic expertise to develop both satellites and launchers, despite the technical complexities involved.
“We started with relatively simple satellites, although even those involve highly detailed designs and unknown factors,” Salarieh said. He noted that replicating the exact conditions of space on Earth remains a challenge, complicating satellite testing and design.
Iran’s satellite capabilities have improved steadily over the years. Salarieh outlined a progression from low-resolution imaging satellites capable of capturing images at about 1,000 meters resolution to more advanced satellites with resolutions in the range of a few meters. 
These satellites have been developed by specialized teams in government research centers, universities, and some state-owned companies.
Salarieh recounted that at the beginning of the 2000s, Iran had limited expertise in space technologies. However, from the mid-2000s onward, universities such as Sharif, Amirkabir , Science and Technology, and Malek Ashtar began launching satellite development projects that trained a generation of engineers and scientists. 
Many of these professionals are self-taught, learning through research, design, laboratory construction, and space-like testing to prepare Iran’s first satellites for orbit.
“The construction of each satellite typically takes two to four years, depending on technological complexity,” Salarieh explained. 
He identified the successful launch of the Omid satellite in 2008 as a turning point for Iran’s confidence in placing objects into orbit. Since then, Iran has built and launched other satellites, though early models often had shorter lifespans due to the learning nature of the projects.
Salarieh addressed misconceptions about Iran’s satellite production scale, noting that Iran’s satellite manufacturing has largely been a one-off process. 
“Contrary to some beliefs that we have produced hundreds or thousands of satellites, only in recent years with the Martyr Soleimani satellite constellation project have we adopted a limited production approach,” he said.
Comparing Iran’s capabilities with international private sector efforts like SpaceX’s Starlink, Salarieh acknowledged the vast difference in scale and resources. 
While Starlink might produce 30 satellites every few months, Iran is still consolidating its technological base and moving from research and development to initial batch manufacturing.
“This level of production belongs to the most advanced private space companies globally,” he said. “We are currently stabilizing our technology and moving towards the stage of producing several units.”