Iran space agency expresses interest in cooperation with NASA

New Delhi: The world is making huge progress in the sphere of space and countries across the globe are collaborating with each other to climb a step further to success.

American space agency NASA is one of the pioneers in the field of space and has many laudable achievements to its name. It's no wonder, then, that many countries want to join hands with the space giant.

This time, it's Iran who has come out to the forefront with a desire to 'cooperate' with NASA, provided the leaders of the respective countries give their consent.

Mohsen Bahrami, head of Iran's space agency, expressed his interest in cooperating with its US counterpart, saying that, “many in the world look at NASA’s programs. We are interested in having cooperation, naturally. When you are in orbit, there is no country and race,” as per the Associated Press (AP).

Emphasizing on a peaceful and powerful civil space program, Bahrami said, “We have capabilities and we are part of an international scene.”

The AP further reported that Iran is also in talks with the space agencies of various European countries along with Japan, Russia and China over technical cooperation. Bahrami also said Iran had started negotiating with international satellite operators.

Iran has long since been desirous of making a foray by launching its own satellites in space to monitor natural disasters in the earthquake-prone nation, improve telecommunications and expand military surveillance. The US and its allies are hesitant, since they feel that he same technology could be used to develop long-range missiles.

Iran's Defense Ministry, which is in charge of launching satellites, has denied that it is using its space program to develop new weapons. Iran says it is willing to share its scientific findings and satellite data with other countries, the AP reported.