Iran plans to launch its Mesbah communications satellite before the end of the year, according to a July 20 report by Russia’s Novosti news agency.

“The project on the launch of the communications satellite was presented to Iranian President Mohammad Khatami at the Supreme Council session on space technologies,” a source in the presidential administration said. “Iran has developed a small communications satellite together with Italian and Iranian companies and we intend to launch it this year.”

The Mesbah satellite will be put launched aboard a Russian rocket, Novosti said. The satellite will collect data on ground and water resources and meteorological conditions, and will be used to control power supply systems and pipelines. In January, Russia and Iran signed an agreement on the construction of the Zohreh communication satellite, which is scheduled for launch in 2007.

In addition to discussing Iran’s Mesbah and Zohreh satellite projects, the council also discussed the possibility of producing a new multi-purpose satellite with China and Thailand.