Overseen by the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT); reportedly established in 2003 to carry out space research and coordinate related efforts at Iran's universities and research centers; reportedly carries out directives of the Iran Space Council (ISC), also known as the Supreme Space Council, which is chaired by the Iranian president and presided over by the defense minister and other senior officials; on February 2, 2009, successfully launched Iran's first domestic satellite launch vehicle, SAFIR-2, carrying Iran's first domestic telecommunication satellite, OMID, up to low Earth orbit; reportedly worked with Thailand and China on the Environment-1 satellite, launched aboard a Chinese rocket in September 2008 and used for monitoring natural disasters; listed among its achievements design and manufacture of Iran's first domestic telemetry, tracking and command (TT&C) station, as well as design and implementation of satellite monitoring and control, tracking, and telemetry coding and decoding software; president, Dr. Reza Taghipour, also acts as Secretary of the Committee on the Development of Aerospace Technology and deputy ICT minister.