A purported artistic rendition of Iran's Soha satellite.

Image is via News.Az.

According to News.Az, a "top" official of the Iran Space Research Center, Hassan Haddadpour, stated that his nation will launch their first, sensor-operational satellite in 2018.

Iran acquired the design and construction knowledge to build this satellite using internal resources. According to the mission's development plan, the 'Soha' satellite will be launched to promote the Iran Space Research Center laboratory.

The official emphasized the elevation of the laboratory capabilities within Iran in a way that the technology will be able to support bigger satellites weighing 1 ton. He also noted that the Soha satellite will be able to identify items with resolution of 15 meters and will be deployed in a 36,000 km orbit.