Indigenous satellite carriers can launch Mesbah satellite, the Head of Iranian Space Organization (ISO) Hamid Fazeli said on Tuesday, ISNA reported.
"All home-made satellite carriers can launch Mesbah satellite into space. But the satellite is not in possession of Iran now due to excuses such as sanctions and resolutions and Italy refuses to take back the satellite to Iran. Off course we have started negotiations to take it back," he told.
The satellite can be placed into LEO orbit and regarded as a microsatellite.
"Mesbah telecommunications satellite which could move from one place to another costs over 10 million dollars."
The engineering model of the satellite was built jointly by Iran and an Italian company.
It weighs 75 kg with 3-year lifespan.
It can turn around the earth 14 times round the clock after being placed and can be observed 3-4 times through ground stations.
Iran and Russia had agreed to send the satellite into space with a Russian microsatellite and seven foreign microsatellites late September 2005 by a Russian-made Kosmos-3M missile from Russian space station. But the satellite has not yet been fired into space after 6 years due to breach of promise and obstructionism of space powers.
Iranian space scientists managed to launch "Omid" domestically-made satellite into space in 2009.