Iran successfully launched a satellite, said official news agency IRNA citing a minister. The launch is being described as a milestone for the country’s aerospace programme.
“The Soraya satellite of the Iranian Space Organisation was successfully launched with the Qaem 100 satellite carrier of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,”
the official IRNA news agency said.
This is the first time that Iran has successfully placed a satellite in orbits higher than 500 kilometres (310 miles),” IRNA said.IRNA quoted Iran’s Telecommunications Minister Issa Zarepour who said that the satellite weighing 50 kilogrammes was placed in an orbit 750 kilometres above Earth.
Criticism by the west –
The US military says the long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit could also allow Tehran to launch longer-range weapons, possibly including nuclear warheads.
Tehran denies US assertions that such activity is a cover for ballistic missile development and says it has never pursued the development of nuclear weapons.
