Sattar Hashemi made the announcement during the World Space Day ceremony on Saturday, stating that the launch base has reached 93 percent completion and its first phase will be operational imminently.
The Chabahar satellite base, dedicated to medium-heavy liquid-fueled launch vehicles, is Iran’s national space launch site and one of several bases currently under construction.
Hashemi also revealed that Iran will officially inaugurate two other major ground satellite stations—Salmas and Chenaran—by the end of the year. “We will inform the public about the official launch of these stations,” he added.
He emphasized that the infrastructure for satellite development is being established under the current administration, and that Iran’s homegrown space industry and satellites promise a bright future for the Islamic Republic.
“For the first time, message and call relay was established in the KU band, and a text message was sent from one station and received at the Qeshm station,” Hashemi noted, highlighting Iran’s growing capabilities in space communications.
The minister also mentioned the various names assigned to Iranian satellites—Hodhod, Nahid, Pars, and Mahda—explaining that each name reflects the satellite’s specific function in space.
“We must choose a path that improves the quality of life,” Hashemi stressed, while acknowledging the environmental and social degradation that has accompanied global development since the industrial revolution. “In this direction, we have become a global village thanks to communication infrastructure and technology,” he concluded.
IRNA