MNA� Iranian ICT Minister Mahmoud Vaezi announced that bilateral talks are underway with Italy over the returning of the Mesbah satellite to home.

Speaking among reporters on the sidelines of cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Vaezi said after Mesbah's return to the country, the experts will determine over the fate of satellite.

Responding to a question why Mesbah satellite is supposed to be preserved in a space museum, Vaezi rejected the remarks and said �we do not even have a museum for the satellites and the experts will determine over the fate of Misbah after it is returned to home.

Vaezi's comments came after Head of Iranian Space Agency told Mehr News on Sunday that Mesbah communications satellite will not be launched due to heavy costs and will be instead preserved in a space museum.

Noting that Mesbah satellite is one of the first sentinel satellite projects of Iran, construction of which kicked off in 1996 and completed 10 years after, Vaezi said, �at that time Iran lacked any satellite launcher and the then government sent it to Italy for launch; however, Mesbah did not get the chance to be launched into space as Italy refused to cooperate with Iran anymore on space projects due to the sanctions and since then, the satellite is kept in Italy.

Vaezi underlined that when the life of a satellite passes and its battery runs out, it will face many problems; Mesbah has been out of our disposal for 10 years and we do not know what has happened to the satellite.

Mesbah is a low earth orbit telecommunication satellite that is used for scientific research and educational purposes. Finding water, soil and mineral resources and meteorology, as well as water, electricity and gas network control and relief in disasters, are primary goals of building and launching the satellite. Iran is pursuing to get the satellite back and launch it using an Iranian satellite carrier.