Iran Launches New Home-Made Satellite into Orbit

Iran on Friday successfully sent another domestically-made satellite, named 'Navid-e Elm-o Sana'at' (Promise of Science and Industry), into orbit.

The satellite was sent to space following a decree by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday morning via videoconference.

Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, Minister of Science, Research and Technology Kamran Daneshjou and Head of State Spatial Organization Hamid Fazeli attended the control panel for the launch of the satellite.

The satellite, completely designed and built by Iranian experts, blasted into orbit on the occasion of the 10-Day Dawn celebrations, marking the 33rd anniversary of the victory of Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979.

The 50-kilogram orbiter lifted off into space with an orbital angle of 55 degrees on the Iranian-made Safir satellite-carrier.

Head of Iran Space Agency (ISA) Hamid Fazeli said the domestically-built Navid satellite will circle the Earth at altitudes between 250 and 370 kilometers.

Navid-e Elm-o Sanat is a telecom, measurement and scientific satellite whose records could be used in a wide range of fields.

Iran has already sent small animals into space - a rat, turtles and worms - aboard a capsule carried by its Kavoshgar-3 rocket in 2010.

The Islamic republic, which first put a satellite into orbit in 2009, has outlined an ambitious space program and has, thus far, made giant progress in the field despite western sanctions and pressures against its advancement.