TEHRAN – Iran’s private 
aerospace firm SpaceOmid outlined an ambitious three-year program to build a 200-satellite constellation, aiming to execute more than 10 launches per month for remote-sensing and Internet of Things (IoT) missions. 
In an interview with Tasnim News Agency published Wednesday, CEO Hussein Shahrabi said SpaceOmid intends to leverage experience from earlier missions — including the satellites Kowsar and Hodhod — to launch a new generation of multi‑purpose satellites. 
One of the next satellites, described as “Kowsar 1.5”, is scheduled for launch this year and will combine Earth-imaging and IoT communications in a single platform, Shahrabi said. 
Shahrabi emphasized that the program represents a broader shift in Iran’s space industry from public-sector dominance toward private, commercial operators.
“If you want development speed, you must go to the private sector, and if you want to reduce costs, again, the private sector is the better choice,” he said. 
He added that the ultimate objective is not simply to serve as a contractor for the government, but to become a key player in the “value chain”. 
Drawing a parallel with SpaceX, he noted: “SpaceX did not build the Starlink constellation based on a NASA order; Starlink was designed and built based on the company’s own commercial program. This shows the real meaning of market development.” 
According to Shahrabi, the 200-satellite “dual purpose” constellation is being designed with the international market in mind. “A constellation cannot be designed solely for the Iranian market; such thinking is fundamentally flawed. Every constellation must be planned for the international market,” he said. 
To support the high launch cadence, SpaceOmid said it plans to collaborate with both domestic and international launch providers. It is also pursuing partnerships with countries and blocs including the BRICS grouping, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Eurasian Economic Union to secure a “very large market”. 
Iran’s broader space industry has grown in recent years despite Western sanctions. The Iranian Space Agency (ISA) announced on October 9 that Iran is now among a small group of countries capable of designing, developing, and launching satellites independently. 
Industry officials say that dozens of satellites are currently under construction in Iran. In August 2024 the agency noted that approximately 30 home‑grown satellites were being built and that 12 satellites had been launched or prepared for launch since August 2021. 
Shahrabi stated that structural reforms are needed: the private sector must move beyond being a supplier to government — it must control the value chain of manufacturing, launch, operations and services, in order to reach the “industrialization and replication” phase enjoyed by space-industry leaders. 
He said the dual transition — from government to private and from ad hoc to industrial-scale production — underpins the program. 
He also touched on investment policy, noting that Iran’s “Knowledge-Based Leap Law” could channel private investment into the high-risk space sector via tax credits and pre-purchase mechanisms of space services. He said government regulation must evolve to become more facilitative rather than purely restrictive.