Speaking at a Space Technology Day event, Iranian Space Agency President Hassan Salarieh said the Salmas center has entered full operation and will cover satellite passes over the western part of the country, increasing access time to spacecraft in orbit.
Salarieh said longer and more frequent communication windows with satellites allow faster stabilization of spacecraft in orbit and enable larger volumes of satellite data to be received and processed domestically.
Looking ahead, authorities plan to expand the ground segment.
He said a second satellite ground station in Chenaran, eastern Iran, will be unveiled and become operational in the coming weeks, further extending national satellite coverage from east to west.
Alongside the inauguration, Iran showcased early results from a newly launched satellite.
Salarieh said the “Paya” satellite, launched into orbit on Jan. 7 together with the Kowsar and Zafar satellites, has completed subsystem testing and has been conducting imaging operations for about two to three weeks.
He said the first geometrically and radiometrically corrected images from Paya were unveiled, with imaging resolution of 10 meters in color and 5 meters in black and white, which can be improved to better than 3 meters through additional processing.
The agency said the data will support a wide range of civilian uses.
Applications include agriculture monitoring, water resource management, environmental monitoring and urban planning, with images available to government bodies, the private sector and the public.
Salarieh said construction of the Chabahar spaceport has been completed and that the first launch from the site will mark the start of its operational phase, with a formal inauguration planned alongside that mission.
He added that Iran has recently launched its first domestic communications satellite, has a second unit ready for launch, and has begun development of higher-resolution optical and radar observation satellites.
According to the space agency, the inauguration of the Salmas station and upcoming launches reflect a broader push to expand Iran’s space infrastructure, satellite capabilities and ground support network.