Iran plans to establish a national satellite launch base in the southeast of the country, adjacent to the Sea of Oman and the Indian Ocean, Iranian news networks Press TV reported on Friday.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has ordered the cabinet to approve the base plan and earmark funding for the project, Space Agency chief Hamid Fazeli said.
Earlier on Friday Iran successfully launched an observation satellite, Navid (Harbinger), to take pictures of the Earth at low altitudes of 250 to 370 kilometers.
Iran launched its first domestically-produced satellite Omid (Hope) in 2009, an endeavor which made it the ninth country having the capability to launch satellites.
Tehran also plans to launch the country's first manned mission into space by 2019.
