Iran launches first communication satellite (Roundup)

Aug 17, 2008, 17:09 GMT

Tehran - Iran on Sunday launched its first communication satellite into space, Iranian state television reported.

The report said that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made the countdown for the Omid (Hope) satellite, which was launched on the Safir (Envoy) rocket.

Ahmadinejad termed the launching a great technological achievement for the Iranian nation.

The same rocket was first tested last February under the name Kavoshgar (Explorer) 1 upon Ahmadinejad's direct order from a space centre in order to prepare for the launch of the Omid satellite.

The ability to launch satellites into orbit may indicate progress in the Islamic republic's missile technology, which is another point of concern for Western countries worried by Iran's nuclear programme.

Iran's main missile, Shahab-3, has a range of 2,000 kilometres and is therefore capable of targeting any part of arch-rival Israel's territory.

Iran says that its missile industry plans to focus its work on scientific rather than defence purposes.

Within the next two years, Iran reportedly plans to launch four more satellites for research, especially for the improvement of telecommunications and the monitoring of natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes, which frequently hit the country.

It is believed that the satellites could also have strategic dimensions, such as monitoring the movements in neighbouring Iraq and Afghanistan of foreign, especially US, forces.

The rocket launch on Saturday night was shown on state television together with songs containing patriotic lyrics.

The Fars news agency reported that the launching of the domestically produced satellite showed that despite financial sanctions over the Islamic state's nuclear programmes, Iran had succeeded in making progress even in aerospace.

The Kavoshgar rocket could reportedly reach a range of 4,000 kilometres and be used for launching ballistic weapons.

Iran has said that new rockets, such as Shahab-4, were under production, but supposedly for aerospace purposes only.

The first Iranian satellite, Sina-1, was launched in 2005 with a Russian rocket, but Tehran claims that the new rocket was entirely made by Iranian scientists.