Iran launches first satellite
Updated on 03 February 2009
Iran has launched a home-made satellite into orbit for the first time in a move likely to cause concern over its nuclear ambitions.
The Omid (Hope) satellite has been hailed by Iran as a major step in its space technology and the launch was timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution that ousted the US-backed Shah of Iran.
In a televised address, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the launch was successful.
"Dear Iranian nation, your children have placed the first indigenous satellite into orbit. With God's help and the desire for justice and peace, the official presence of the Islamic Republic was registered in space," President Ahmadinejad said.
Iranian state television showed footage of a rocket blasting off from a launchpad and lighting up the night sky as it streaked into space.
The ISNA news agency quoted Iran's Defence Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar as saying Omid is orbiting earth. "We have established communications with it and the necessary information has been received," he said.
Iran is under UN and US sanctions because of suspicions about Tehran's nuclear plans. The Islamic state, the world's fourth-largest oil producer, says its nuclear work has no military goals but is limited to generating electricity to meet domestic needs.
On Wednesday, senior officials from the US, Russia, Britain, France, Germany and China will meet to discuss the nuclear row with Iran. It will be their first meeting since Barack Obama took office.
Mr Obama has signalled that he will pursue direct talks with Tehran but has also warned Iran to expect more pressure if it does not meet the UN Security Council demand to halt atomic work the West fears has military aims.
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki also told reporters during a visit to Ethiopia that the satellite had peaceful aims.
But Isaac Ben-Israel, a former head of The Israel Space Agency, said: "If they managed to fire a satellite into space it means they can also reach Western Europe."
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