Iran unveils two indigenous satellites

TEHRAN, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran unveiled two indigenously- developed multipurpose satellites, Iran Daily reported on Tuesday.

The satellites, Tadbir (prudence) and Persian Gulf, were displayed at a ceremony to mark National Space Technology Day in Tehran on Monday.

Tadbir, developed by students and academicians at Iran University of Science and Technology in five months, weighs about 50 kg and can take high precision photos. Its interactive computer system enables 16 users to send and receive data in any geological location, according to the report.

The Persian Gulf satellite has been developed at the Malek- Ashtar University of Technology. It is compatible with land-based fixed-wireless broadband systems, which can provide efficient wireless telecommunications services, Iran Daily said.

The satellite is equipped with small and light functional terminals, which can be used for relief operations during natural disasters.

Addressing the ceremony on Monday, Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said the country has indigenously produced all its aerospace technologies including satellite launchers and land sites.

Iran enjoys the highest rate of growth among active states in the field of aerospace, Dehqan said.

The country is preparing to send three new home-made satellites into orbit in near future, Director of Iran Space Agency Hamid Fazeli was quoted as saying.

Iran sent its first bio-capsule containing living creatures into space in February 2010, using the domestically developed Kavoshgar-3 (Explorer-3) carrier.

Last year in January, Iran sent a capsule containing a monkey onboard Pishgam (Pioneer) I into space, and last December, it sent another live monkey into space.