Iran’s national space center will start work early this Iranian year (which began on March 21) upon an order by President Hassan Rouhani and under the supervision of the scientific and technological department of the presidential offi

Iran's national space center will start work early this Iranian year (which began on March 21) upon an order by President Hassan Rouhani and under the supervision of the scientific and technological department of the presidential office, Fars reported.

Last year ,"the president ordered the science department to set up Iran's national space center to coordinate, do policy-making and planning and monitor the use of capacities for advanced research centers in compliance with relevant rules and regulations", Head of Iran's National Space Center Jahangir Jodai said.

"To the same end, Iran's National Space Center will be one of the subordinate units of the science and technology department of the presidential office with an organization and expert human resources independent from other scientific and specialized centers," he added.

Jodai announced that the center will start work in coming months.

In relevant remarks in February, Iranian Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mahmoud Vaezi announced the country's plans to widen its home-grown space program to make more applied and national uses of the technology.

"The first 10-year (development) plan is ending and we will use all the power of our specialists seriously to obtain our (applied) goals in the second 10-year (development) plan," Vaezi said, addressing a ceremony to commemorate the space technology day in Tehran.

"It is now time for us to leave behind the first stage of the country's space program, which mostly focused on testing (in the first 10 years) and make more tangible uses of the space technology (in the second decade)," he added.

Vaezi stressed that Iran should have its national and special satellite for various communication, geographical and technological purposes, and said, "Plans to build and launch home-made satellites (for applied uses) will be pursued seriously in the second 10-year plan."