Iran joined the space race alongside the United States, China and Russia as the country launched the first privately developed satellites into space, marking its entry into the world of space exploration, according to the Tehran Times.

The private Kowsar and Hodhod satellites were launched into orbit Tuesday on a Russian rocket, the Soyuz, which also carried two Russian Ionosphere-M Earth observation satellites and others, according to The Associated Press.

The launch of the satellites on a Russian rocket also demonstrates the strengthening of relations between the two countries.

News week contacted the Iranian Space Agency for comment via email.

Faghih Imani, CEO of the company behind the creation of the satellites, said the development process took 15 years, adding: “This is just the beginning for us, we are only moving forward from from now”.

The Kowsar high-resolution sensing satellite, with a lifespan of three and a half years, is intended to be used for agriculture, natural resource management, environmental monitoring and disaster response.

The Hodhod satellite, although smaller, is used for communications to support agriculture, as well as transportation, logistics and environmental monitoring by enhancing satellite communications networks.

While this is not the first time Iran has launched satellites into space, it is the first time the country has done so through the private sector.

A Russian rocket also launched an Iranian satellite, Khayyam, in 2022, and sent Pars-1, another Iranian satellite, into space in February.

The country also launched a research satellite, Madha, earlier this year, and used its own vehicle launcher called Simorgh.

Madha’s successful launch into space follows five failed Simorgh launches previously.

Describing the launch of the two satellites on Tuesday, Hassan Salarieh, director of the Iranian Space Agency, said: “It is impossible to achieve significant goals in this field without strong participation of private companies. competitive environment, taking into account market criteria.

He added that the country plans to launch five to seven additional satellites by March, through the government and the private sector, and said: “With each launch, we get closer and closer to joining the ranks space giants like Russia, China and the United States. “.

THE Russian-Iranian relations continue to improve in multiple sectors, including defense and the economy, in recent years.

Relations have particularly improved since the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war in February 2022, as Tehran supplied Moscow with Shahed drones.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met with Russian President Vladimir Putin last month to discuss bilateral issues and said that relations between the two countries are growing “stronger day by day“.

In describing Russia’s relations with Iran, Putin said“We actively work together on the international stage and our assessments of current events in the world are often very close.”

The two countries are expected to soon sign a partnership treaty focused on strengthening military and security ties.

Speaking about the partnership treaty, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said: “This will confirm the desire of the parties for closer cooperation in the field of defense and interaction in the interests of peace and security at the regional and global levels.