According to Morteza Berari, head of Iran’s space agency, the satellite is designed to be operational for more than 18 months, although the agency hopes to construct five more satellites before March 2021. Berari didn’t specify when the launch was due to take place, noting only that it would be “in the coming days.”

Some Western countries have previously expressed concern regarding Iran’s satellite program. In January 2019, for example, the launch of Tehran’s Payam satellite — designed to monitor environmental change — was preceded by warnings from Washington which described it as a “provocation.” However, Berari says that Iran advocates for the “peaceful use of outer space,” adding that “All our activities in the domain of outer space are transparent.”