Iran had just connected to the Beidou system. As a result, Wahid Yazdanian, director of the Institute of Space Research, immediately came out to clarify that this was only a "temporary access" and vowed to develop its own navigation system within three to five years.
This is hard-hearted, detailed, and full of Iranian twists and calculations in the field of navigation.
Iran has been relying on the U.S. GPS, but in these years the U.S. sanctions round by round, even civilian GPS high-precision services are often to Iran "confessions". last year, the Iranian agricultural sector has complained, because of the GPS signal is unstable, many farms accurate seeding has been wrong, losing tens of thousands of tons of wheat.
Not to mention the military field, when the US military assassinated Soleimani in 2020, it interfered with GPS signals around Iran, causing some Iran's air defense equipment to be temporarily "blinded." Iran has long had enough of this feeling of being strangled by the lifeblood of navigation.
Beidou system just became an emergency option, Beidou's signal coverage in the Middle East region has long been shaped, and by 2023, there are data showing that 12 countries in the Middle East have access to Beidou open services, and the positioning accuracy in the civilian field can be within 10 meters, which is completely enough for Iran's transportation and agriculture.
Iran last year imported a batch of Beidou navigation terminals from China, first in the truck transportation and port scheduling tested water, the effect is more stable than the time-interrupted GPS. this "temporary access", it is said to be the first to take Beidou as a "prepared vessel", to clear the eye of the ears, can never look at the need for navigation failure.
But why have to emphasize "temporary"? This has to talk about Iran's "autonomy complex". Iran has been holding back its strength in the aerospace field and does not want to be stuck by other countries.
As early as 2009, the first domestic satellite "Hope" was launched, and in 2022 the "No-2" satellite was successfully sent to the sky, and the solid-fuel rocket technology was mastered - these are the basis for independent navigation systems.
Wahid Yazdanian said in an interview with Iranian state television before that "a country's strategic areas must be held in its own hands." The navigation system is related to national defense and people's livelihood. If it relies on other countries for a long time, it is equivalent to handing over the key to national security, which is unacceptable to Iran in any case.
The Iranian Space Research Institute launched the "Iran National Navigation System" early in 2018, in 2021 also published photos of the ground test station, it is said to have built signals reception stations in six cities such as Tehran, Isfahan, can make auxiliary modifications to existing satellite signals.
Last year, the research and development of navigation systems was included in the "sixth five-year development plan", a dedicated budget was allocated, and more than 200 experts from the field of electronics and aerospace from several top universities in the country were drawn.
Although it is far from being compared with global networking systems such as Beidou and GPS, Iran's goal is very clear: to first develop a regional navigation system to cover Iran and several neighboring friendly countries to meet basic needs.
However, the difficulty of this matter is not small, the navigation system can not be made by putting together, the most core "atomic clock" technology, Iran now has to rely on import - this is the key to ensure positioning accuracy, in a nanosecond, positioning may be several hundred meters away.
The United States and Europe have been stuck in this export, and Iran can only secretly buy second-hand equipment from a handful of countries, and stability can’t be guaranteed at all.
There are also satellite launches. Regional navigation requires at least 3-4 satellites to network. Iran's current rocket carrying capacity can only send a few hundred kilograms of satellites into the sky, while navigation satellites usually cost more than one ton and must be able to operate in specific orbits. Stable operation over a long time is another test for Iran's rocket technology.
Wahid Yazdanian must be aware of these difficulties in his heart, so he first took the transition of "temporary access to Beidou". On the one hand, it can be supported by Beidou's signal to prevent domestic navigation needs from falling off the chain; On the other hand, we can use this time to speed up the research and development of our own systems-such as comparing Beidou signals, optimizing our own ground algorithms, and even verifying the positioning accuracy of our own satellites in turn.
This "research while using" approach can not only reduce R & D risks, but also give the country reassurance that it "does not rely on foreign countries." Another factor that cannot be avoided is the international environment. If Iran clearly relies on Beidou for a long time, it will inevitably be hyped by the West that "China controls Iran's navigation." Not only will it cause trouble for China, it may also lead to more severe sanctions.
Emphasizing "temporary" and then talking about independent research and development is tantamount to showing the outside world that Iran is only borrowing temporarily, and ultimately it has to rely on itself, neither offending China nor letting the West grasp the handle of "dependence on China".
This two-headed little thought, hidden in the clarification of Wahid Azdanyan, foreigners are not really visible.Looking at the reaction of the Iranian people, many netizens on social platforms commented, supporting independent navigation system, saying "not to look at other people's face to signal, rather than to create one yourself."
But there is also a rational voice, feeling that three to five years are too hasty, it is better to deepen cooperation with China, learn Beidou's technology and do it on its own. This difference also reflects Iran's reality: both want to quickly get rid of external dependence, and be limited by its own technical strength, can only be balanced between "temporary borrowing" and "autonomous development".
Temporary access to Beidou" is a good idea, "three to five years of autonomous systems" is a long-term goal, the two combined, is Iran's most practical choice in the field of navigation. After all, in the large environment of sanctions, Iran has not a lot of retreat, only to find a reliable "repair" side, while biting teeth and chewing hard bones to independent - even if this road is difficult to go, is stronger than being struck by people.
This is hard-hearted, detailed, and full of Iranian twists and calculations in the field of navigation.
Iran has been relying on the U.S. GPS, but in these years the U.S. sanctions round by round, even civilian GPS high-precision services are often to Iran "confessions". last year, the Iranian agricultural sector has complained, because of the GPS signal is unstable, many farms accurate seeding has been wrong, losing tens of thousands of tons of wheat.
Not to mention the military field, when the US military assassinated Soleimani in 2020, it interfered with GPS signals around Iran, causing some Iran's air defense equipment to be temporarily "blinded." Iran has long had enough of this feeling of being strangled by the lifeblood of navigation.
Beidou system just became an emergency option, Beidou's signal coverage in the Middle East region has long been shaped, and by 2023, there are data showing that 12 countries in the Middle East have access to Beidou open services, and the positioning accuracy in the civilian field can be within 10 meters, which is completely enough for Iran's transportation and agriculture.
Iran last year imported a batch of Beidou navigation terminals from China, first in the truck transportation and port scheduling tested water, the effect is more stable than the time-interrupted GPS. this "temporary access", it is said to be the first to take Beidou as a "prepared vessel", to clear the eye of the ears, can never look at the need for navigation failure.
But why have to emphasize "temporary"? This has to talk about Iran's "autonomy complex". Iran has been holding back its strength in the aerospace field and does not want to be stuck by other countries.
As early as 2009, the first domestic satellite "Hope" was launched, and in 2022 the "No-2" satellite was successfully sent to the sky, and the solid-fuel rocket technology was mastered - these are the basis for independent navigation systems.
Wahid Yazdanian said in an interview with Iranian state television before that "a country's strategic areas must be held in its own hands." The navigation system is related to national defense and people's livelihood. If it relies on other countries for a long time, it is equivalent to handing over the key to national security, which is unacceptable to Iran in any case.
The Iranian Space Research Institute launched the "Iran National Navigation System" early in 2018, in 2021 also published photos of the ground test station, it is said to have built signals reception stations in six cities such as Tehran, Isfahan, can make auxiliary modifications to existing satellite signals.
Last year, the research and development of navigation systems was included in the "sixth five-year development plan", a dedicated budget was allocated, and more than 200 experts from the field of electronics and aerospace from several top universities in the country were drawn.
Although it is far from being compared with global networking systems such as Beidou and GPS, Iran's goal is very clear: to first develop a regional navigation system to cover Iran and several neighboring friendly countries to meet basic needs.
However, the difficulty of this matter is not small, the navigation system can not be made by putting together, the most core "atomic clock" technology, Iran now has to rely on import - this is the key to ensure positioning accuracy, in a nanosecond, positioning may be several hundred meters away.
The United States and Europe have been stuck in this export, and Iran can only secretly buy second-hand equipment from a handful of countries, and stability can’t be guaranteed at all.
There are also satellite launches. Regional navigation requires at least 3-4 satellites to network. Iran's current rocket carrying capacity can only send a few hundred kilograms of satellites into the sky, while navigation satellites usually cost more than one ton and must be able to operate in specific orbits. Stable operation over a long time is another test for Iran's rocket technology.
Wahid Yazdanian must be aware of these difficulties in his heart, so he first took the transition of "temporary access to Beidou". On the one hand, it can be supported by Beidou's signal to prevent domestic navigation needs from falling off the chain; On the other hand, we can use this time to speed up the research and development of our own systems-such as comparing Beidou signals, optimizing our own ground algorithms, and even verifying the positioning accuracy of our own satellites in turn.
This "research while using" approach can not only reduce R & D risks, but also give the country reassurance that it "does not rely on foreign countries." Another factor that cannot be avoided is the international environment. If Iran clearly relies on Beidou for a long time, it will inevitably be hyped by the West that "China controls Iran's navigation." Not only will it cause trouble for China, it may also lead to more severe sanctions.
Emphasizing "temporary" and then talking about independent research and development is tantamount to showing the outside world that Iran is only borrowing temporarily, and ultimately it has to rely on itself, neither offending China nor letting the West grasp the handle of "dependence on China".
This two-headed little thought, hidden in the clarification of Wahid Azdanyan, foreigners are not really visible.Looking at the reaction of the Iranian people, many netizens on social platforms commented, supporting independent navigation system, saying "not to look at other people's face to signal, rather than to create one yourself."
But there is also a rational voice, feeling that three to five years are too hasty, it is better to deepen cooperation with China, learn Beidou's technology and do it on its own. This difference also reflects Iran's reality: both want to quickly get rid of external dependence, and be limited by its own technical strength, can only be balanced between "temporary borrowing" and "autonomous development".
Temporary access to Beidou" is a good idea, "three to five years of autonomous systems" is a long-term goal, the two combined, is Iran's most practical choice in the field of navigation. After all, in the large environment of sanctions, Iran has not a lot of retreat, only to find a reliable "repair" side, while biting teeth and chewing hard bones to independent - even if this road is difficult to go, is stronger than being struck by people.