Iran Sends First Satellite into OrbitFars News (English)
August 17, 2008TEHRAN (FNA) - Iran successfully orbited its first home-made satellite Sunday morning. The satellite named Omid (Hope) has been designed and built by Iranian specialists and was orbited by an Iranian carrier rocket. In February Tehran successfully launched the Explorer-1 research rocket, which is capable of carrying a satellite into orbit, and unveiled the country's first domestically built satellite, Omid.
The achievement has drawn much attention from around the world, specially from among Muslim nations, as Iran is under heavy sanctions by the West and the UN Security Council making it develop the technology and build every part and equipment needed in the field of aerospace.
The satellite was sent into orbit today on the occasion of the birthday anniversary of Shiites' 12th Imam (May God Hasten His Reappearance).
Joint Chief of Staff on Sunday congratulated Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and brave Iranian nation on successful launching of the rocket carrying the country's first satellite.
In a message issued on Sunday, the Joint Chief of Staff said the rocket carrying the country's first satellite,
was successfully fired on the birth Anniversary of the last Imam of Shiites, Hazrat Mahdi (May God Hasten His Reappearance), thus illustrating the auspicious name of the Imam in the space. The message said the launching marks the second instance of successful tentative firing of such rockets.
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Iran sparks US concern with satellite rocket launchAFP - Yahoo!7 News (AU) - August 18, 2008, 6:27 amTEHRAN (AFP) - Iran said it had sent a rocket carrying a dummy satellite into space on Sunday, triggering fresh concern in Washington that the technology could be diverted to ballistic missiles. The launch is likely to further exacerbate tensions with the West over its nuclear drive, which Iran's arch-foe Washington and its allies claim is a cover for atomic weapons ambitions.
"The Safir (Ambassador) rocket was successfully launched. All its systems...are Iranian-made," Reza Taghipour, head of Iran's space agency, told state television, adding that a "test satellite was put into orbit. We have paved the way for placing a satellite in space in future," state television said, showing images of the pre-dawn rocket launch which was attended by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Western governments, already concerned over Iran's nuclear activities, have warned that the technology used in the Islamic republic's space programme could be diverted to military use, claims denied by Tehran. "The Iranian development and testing of rockets is troubling and raises further questions about their intentions," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. "This action and dual use possibilities for their ballistic missile program are inconsistent with their UN Security Council obligations."
A top Iranian official told AFP that state media reports that the country's first domestically-built satellite, called Omid or Hope, had been launched were not correct. A defence ministry statement carried by the official news agency IRNA had said the rocket, "built by Iranian experts" was launched with Omid. But the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the media was mistaken. Iran's Arabic-language state television broadcast footage of the rocket heading into space and graphics showing a satellite separating from a rocket.
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- Well, this is a fine kettle of fish. The religious wars have finally reach space.
Peachy....==============================================================================
DeSwiss
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