Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was among the visitors at the country's ninth annual National Space Technology Day.Also attending the event were defense minister Hossein Dehgan and Mohammad Farhadi, minister of science, research, and technology.

This year's celebration included a special exhibition of Iranian space achievements.The government dignitaries were on hand for the public unveiling of two new satellites designed and built within Iran.

Iran's Space Research Center showed off its Nahid (Venus) 1 satellite which is designed for telecommunications.This solar-powered geosynchronous satellite is intended to provide telecom and imagining services for client companies and governments.

Also introduced was the Cube satellite which was created by students at the Amirkabir University of Technology.

In addition to the new satellites, the exhibit of space achievements included the Payam-e-Amirkabir satellite, which performs surveillance imaging, and the Saman 1 Orbital Maneuver System, which is intended to allow satellites to alter their orbits around the earth.

President Rouhani called upon scientists to build upon international scientific knowledge to promote and expand domestic space technology efforts. "It is wrong for us to either be exclusively reliant on buying [technology] from abroad or totally turn our backs on international experience," he said.

The Iranian president said space technology can be a source of political power for the Islamic Republic.

Image: NASA