TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran's space agency is trying to snap up technology from abroad as fast as possible for its satellite program, fearing the West will seek to restrict it as it has imposed intensive limitations over the country's nuclear program. The drive is part of Iran's major ambitions in space, looking to show off its technological abilities, monitor its neighborhood—where the United States has hundreds of thousands of troops—and establish itself as a regional superpower.
Iran says it wants satellites to monitor natural disasters in the earthquake-prone nation and improve its telecommunications infrastructure.
"We have not been subject to broad restrictions in space technology yet. But that doesn't mean that space program is less important than the nuclear program," said space official Mohammad Reza Movaseghinia.
"The moment they feel Iran has made a breakthrough, they will impose restrictions more than those they have imposed on Iran's nuclear program," he said.
Iran joined the space club last month after it launched Sina-1, its first small satellite, into space aboard a Russian rocket.
Sina was Russian-built, but Iran is going a step forward with its second satellite, the Mesbah, which is Iranian-built, with help from the Italian company Carlo Gavazzi Space. Mesbah is due to be launched from a Russian platform in about two months.
The satellites give Iran a limited space reconnaissance capability over the entire Middle East.
Iran's next step will be the launch of a satellite on an indigenous rocket. Iranian officials have said the country has been developing a Shahab-4 missile that will be used to launch a satellite into space.
Iran has already upgraded its Shahab-3 missile, which now has a range of more than 2,000 kilometers. Authorities have not given details on when the Shahab-4 will be ready.
"We have to move quickly and achieve our goals in space otherwise we will face political, economic and security threats," Movaseghinia said.
Space agency officials have not given details on what technology or expertise they need from abroad, but they have been racing to learn as much as they can. Under its 20-year plan, Iran aims to become a technological powerhouse of western Asia and a regional superpower by 2025.
Aerospace faculties have mushroomed in Iranian universities in recent years to achieve the goals spelled out in the plan. Iranian technicians are already being trained in Italy, Russia and China to learn how to design and build a satellite. The government has allocated $500 million on space projects for the next five years, Communication Minister Mohammad Soleimani said last week.
Iran is now the world's 43rd country owning a satellite, but the government aims higher.
"We have to build our own satellites, our own launchers. We need to be one of eight top countries mastering space technology," said Ahmad Talebzadeh, the head of the Iranian Space Agency.
But the program has raised concerns, particularly in Israel, over use of technology in Iran's ballistic missile program. The Shahab-3 can already reach Israel, as well as U.S. forces across the Middle East.
Iranian officials say America's use of space to monitor Afghanistan and Iraq before invading them helped the United States gather intelligence. That has been one of the reasons pushing Iran to give priority to space.
The program could also be a response to Israel's Ofek-5 spy satellite. Israel, a world leader in satellite technology, relies heavily on space-based cameras to monitor activities in Arab countries and Iran. The Ofek-5, launched in 2002, overflies Iran, Iraq and Syria.
Iran has said its Sina-1 satellite is capable of monitoring Israel but it can't be used for military purposes. Sina-1, with a three-year lifetime, is a research satellite and has a resolution precision is about 50 meters (yards).
Iran has similarly depicted its nuclear program as having peaceful aims, intended to develop the country's technology and produce electricity. The United States, however, accuses Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons and has tried to dissuade countries—particularly Russia—from helping Iran's nuclear program. It has also backed European negotiations aimed at restricting Iran's use of nuclear technology.
Russia appears to be the main partner in transferring space technology to Iran.
"Nuclear officials told us that they don't have a good experience of dealing with Russia," said Talebzadeh, referring to Moscow's policy of procrastination in completing the nuclear power plant in Bushehr, southern Iran. "But countries we can obtain technology from is limited. And we can't ignore the fact that Russia is a world leader in space technology."
In January, Iran signed a $132 million (euro101 million) deal with a Russian firm to build and launch a telecommunications satellite called Zohreh, or Venus. Its launch is planned within the next two years.
Iran has also signed agreements to lauch a joint satellite with China and Thailand.
"We are at the very beginning of a long, long road in space technology. But we have the potential to develop an indigenous space program," said Mohammad Entezari, who is in charge of Iran's Mesbah satellite project.
"Now, we have the capability to build a satellite but need to go beyond this to launch our own satellites into space ourselves and more," he said.
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