December 31, 2021
I n one of his few policy announcements, President Raisi has decided to expand and speed up Iran’s space program, which President Hassan Rohani had tried to sideline as a waste of money. Raisi personally chaired a meeting of the Supreme Space Council November 25, a body that never met even once under Rohani.
Communications Minister Issa Zarepur told the media a major project, announced years ago, to put satellites into the highest orbits used (36,000 kilometers above the earth) was planned to be accomplished in 10 years, but that Raisi asked that it be speeded up and accomplished in four years. While there was much discussion of doing more and doing it quicker, there was no mention of where the required funds would come from.
Later, in his budget for next year, Raisi proposed increasing the space budget 12-fold. Rohani had viewed the space program as a “prestige project” that garnered good publicity for the government but never accomplished anything of value.
Over the last 13 years, the space program has managed to put five satellites into orbit. But four fell out of orbit in 80 days or fewer and the one satellite that is still in orbit a year and a half after launch is tumbling in space and cannot take any photos of the earth. All the satellites launched by Iran have been fired into low.
earth orbits around 400 miles above the earth. Zarepur also said that Raisi emphasized the need to commercialize Iran’s rocket and space program by exporting engineering knowhow. Raisi called the space program an “economic driver,” although so far it has cost much and produced no economic benefits whatsoever.
The Iran Daily quoted Raisi as saying the space industry also serves as a deterrent against Iran’s enemies, although he did not say how an industry the regime insists is entirely peaceful could have any militarily deterrent value. The last meeting of the Supreme Space Council was held 11 years ago under President Mahmud Ahmadi-nejad.