On the same day back in 2009, Iran successfully launched a domestically-produced satellite named Omid (literally meaning ‘hope’), joining the club of nations which enjoy the capability to launch satellites.
Omid was put into orbit by the satellite carrier Safire II.
Thereafter, the day was designated as National Space Technology Day in Iran.
Omid was Iran’s first home-made satellite and the first scientific breakthrough in the nation’s endeavor to indigenize the space technology.
The move also featured efforts to set the stage for spotting potentialities in domestic industries as well as in the domain of developing equipment to produce, assemble and test satellites, and to promote space activities by the private sector.
