Iran to Send Larger Satellites into Space
News number: 8905310683 12:39 | 2010-08-22
Science

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8905310683

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced that his
country plans to send larger and heavier satellites into space in future.

"We are going to put a larger satellite into space that can operate for one
year and send data," Ahmadinejad said on Saturday, adding, "Iran plans to
shoot satellites to altitudes of 700 km, then 1,000 km."

"Once this target is realized, placing a satellite at a geosynchronous orbit
of 35,000 km will be easy."

Ahmadinejad also said that the country would send man into space by 2025.

Earlier he had announced last month that the country plans to send a
home-made measurement satellite into orbit in the near future.

"Iran's measurement satellite will be launched into space from an Iranian
launch-pad and will have an Iranian exchange station and control station,"
Iranian president said.

Ahmadinejad further noted Iran's plans for sending astronauts into space in
2024, and said that the issue has gone under a second study at a recent
cabinet meeting and that the cabinet has decided to implement the plan in
2019, five years earlier than the date envisaged in the original plan.

Iran has recently taken wide strides in aerospace. The country sent the
first biocapsule of living creatures into space in February, using its
home-made Kavoshgar-3 (Explorer-3) carrier.

Omid (hope) was Iran's first research satellite that was designed for
gathering information and testing equipment. After orbiting for three
months, Omid successfully completed its mission without any problems. It
completed more than 700 orbits over seven weeks and reentered the earth's
atmosphere on April 25, 2009.

After launching Omid, Tehran unveiled three new satellites called Tolou,
Mesbah II and Navid, respectively. Iran has also unveiled its latest
achievements in designing and producing satellite carriers very recently.

Also, Iran has recently unveiled a new generation of home-made satellites
and a new satellite carrier called Simorgh (Phoenix).

The milk-bottle shaped rocket is equipped to carry a 60-kilogram (132-pound)
satellite 500 kilometers (310 miles) into orbit.

The 27-meter (90 foot) tall multi-stage rocket weighs 85 tons and its liquid
fuel propulsion system has a thrust of up to 143 tons.

Iran is one of the 24 founding members of the United Nations' Committee on
the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS), which was set up in 1959.