Iran yesterday said it was preparing to fire a new satellite into space, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, March 20).
(Apr. 15) -
Iran yesterday said it would launch future satellites on delivery vehicles more powerful than its Safir 2 rocket, shown above (Vahidreza Alai/Getty Images).
"Iran plans to launch a ... more sophisticated ... satellite into space," said Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, according to state media
(Nasser Karimi, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, April 14).
Iran prompted Western concerns about its ballistic missile capabilities earlier this year when it launched the nation's first domestically produced satellite into space on its Safir 2 rocket, which has a range of nearly 160 miles, Agence France-Presse reported. The 60-pound satellite completed its mission late last month after roughly 40 days in orbit.
"They (world powers) think this (Safir 2) was our final rocket, but we are working on rockets which can go up to 700 kilometers (440 miles) and above and carry heavier satellites," Ahmadinejad said (Agence France-Presse/Google News, April 14).
The new satellite is expected to orbit higher above the earth than its predecessor, which maintained an altitude of between 155 and 310 miles, AP reported. Iran launched its first commercial satellite into orbit on board a Russian rocket four years ago.
Iran plans to fire three more satellites into space by next year (Karimi, Associated Press).