http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-02/25/content_5770726.htm TEHRAN, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Sunday successfully launched its first rocket into space with the purpose of research, the state-run television reported. Mohsen Bahrami, the head of Iran's aerospace research center, was quoted as saying by the TV that "the first space rocket has been successfully launched into space", adding "materials created by the Science and Technology and Defense ministries for research use was on the rocket." Bahrami did not give more details about the range or nature of the rocket and its cargo, only said that the test was in line with international regulations. A top Iranian lawmaker last month had said Iran would soon test-launch its rocket into space, and disclosed that the country wanted to launch more home-made satellites with commercial purpose. Iran in 2005 has launched its first satellite, named Sina-1, in a joint program with Russia, which was described by press as for research and telecommunications usage. Iran's Sunday launch of rocket came at a time of escalating tensions between Tehran and the West as Iran refused to heed the UN Security Council's Feb. 21 deadline to stop its uranium enrichment activities. The U.S.-led West are pressing for wider sanctions on Tehran. The U.S., along with some other Western countries, has been accusing Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons under civilian cover. Tehran has rejected such allegations, insisting on its "inalienable right" for peaceful nuclear energy.
If they can get to orbit all they have to do is let go of a payload at the right speed and location and thats an icbm...
Interesting how they got a rocket into space, just after they find the cure to AIDS! Maybe these people are peaceful and loving!
Interesting news.... will be very interesting to see what others have to say about it... kinda quiet on the newsfeeds for such an event... guess that could be good or bad... Here's some more info after a quick search... http://www.spacetoday.org/Satellites/Iran/IranianSat.html Middle Eastern nation wants to be number 11: <CENTER>Iran Plans to Launch a Space Satellite OTHERS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND SOUTH ASIA: PAKISTAN INDIA CHINA IRAQ ISRAEL </CENTER> <!-- CIA MAP OF IRAN ---------------------------------- --><TABLE cellSpacing=20 cellPadding=0 width=332 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=left> CIA map of Iran</TD><!-- original image 332 x 353 --></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- START MAIN TEXT ON PAGE ---------------------------------- -->Iran is planning to modify one of its powerful Shahab-3 ballistic missiles and use it to blast a satellite to space, according to news reports from the region. A 44-lb. experimental satellite would be carried aloft to an orbit 155 miles above Earth. From there it would transmit a radio signal down to receiving stations on Earth. The satellite may be named Safir-313. Safir is a Persian word for emissary. The rocket. Iran has tested an upgraded version of the Shahab-3 that is strong enough to carry a warhead across the Middle East to Israel or U.S. bases in the Gulf. Its range is more than 800 miles. Shahab-3 is not an original Iranian design. Rather, it is derived from the North Korean Nodong-1 ballsitic missile modified with Russian technology. If it were used as a weapon, a Sahab-3 missile could carry a nuclear warhead if such bombs were available to Iran. About Iran. Iran is a country in the Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan. Slightly larger than the U.S. state of Alaska, it is a place of mountains, deserts and plains. MORE ABOUT IRAN » <!-- CIA MAP OF PAKISTAN ---------------------------------- --><TABLE cellSpacing=20 cellPadding=0 width=332 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=left> CIA map of Pakistan</TD><!-- original image 332 x 353 --></TR></TBODY></TABLE>And then there is Pakistan. On March 19, 2005, Pakistan successfully test-fired its Shaheen II missile, which has a range of 1,250 miles. It's designed to carry conventional and nuclear warheads, but would be powerful enough to launch a satellite to orbit. Pakistan is in Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India, Iran, Afghanistan and China. Mostly desert plains, mountains and plateaus, it's about twice the size of California. MORE ABOUT PAKISTAN » India, China, Israel, Iraq already up there. India became the eighth to demonstrate it could send a satellite to orbit above Earth with the July 18, 1980, launch of the satellite Rohini 1 on a Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV) rocket. MORE ABOUT INDIA » Even earlier, China launched its first satellite – known as China 1 or Mao 1 – to orbit on a Long March rocket on April 24, 1970. It was the fifth nation able to launch its own satellite to orbit. MORE ABOUT CHINA » <!-- SIDEBAR MIDDLE EAST SOUTH ASIA IN SPACE --><TABLE cellSpacing=20 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=10 width=150 border=1><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>Iraq in space » India in space » China in space » Israel in space » Pakistan in space » Afghan astronomy » </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> Israel became the ninth nation able to launch a satellite to orbit with the blast off on September 19, 1988, of its Horizon 1 or Ofeq 1 to orbit. It flew on a Shavit rocket from Israel's Palmachim Air Force Base south of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem near the town of Yavne in the Negev Desert. Shavit is Hebrew for comet. The rocket was a converted Jericho II medium-range ballistic missile. MORE ABOUT ISRAEL » Iraq launched a satellite on December 5, 1989, making it the tenth nation able to launch to orbit. The satellite was the 48-ton, third stage of a three-stage rocket in a flight from Al-Anbar Space Research Center 50 miles west of Baghdad. The rocket may have been a modified version of Argentina's Condor ballistic missile. Such a missile could carry a warhead 1,240 miles. Iraq also had a 600-mi.-range missile built around a Russian Scud missile. MORE ABOUT IRAQ » MAP OF THE MIDDLE EAST » MAP OF ASIA » <CENTER><HR width=300 noShade SIZE=1>Satellite Firsts <HR width=300 noShade SIZE=1></CENTER> Around the world, 10 others already have accomplished the feat from the launch of the first satellite in 1957. Iran had said in January 2004 that it was building a launchpad and wanted to be the first Islamic country in space. That seemed to overlook the fact that its neighbor Iraq had launched the third stage of a rocket into orbit in 1989. It wasn't clear whether Iran was separating itself from Iraq by categorizing its neighbor as a secular state. The majority of satellites have been built by Russia and the United States, but the countries of Western Europe in the European Space Agency, as well as Japan, China, India, Canada, Israel, Brazil and others have been actively engaged in satellite development. We refer to a spacefaring nation as a country with a rocket powerful enough for space launches. Spacefaring nations are those which launch their own satellites to orbit. They also launch satellites for others who do not possess the capability. Below, in chronological order, are the first countries to loft their artificial moons to orbit above Earth: <!-- NOVOSTI IMAGE OF SPUTNIK LAUNCH --><TABLE cellSpacing=30 cellPadding=0 width=345 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=right> Sputnik One rides Old Number Seven 1957 NOVOSTI PHOTO A Missed Anniverary » A Turning Point in History » First American Satellite » How High is Space? » Iraq in space » India in space » China in space » Israel in space » Pakistan in space » Afghan astronomy » </TD><!-- original 460 x 336 --></TR></TBODY></TABLE> USSR 1957 Oct 4 satellite: Sputnik 1 rocket: Old Number Seven launch site: Baikonur Cosmodrome USA 1958 Jan 31 satellite: Explorer 1 rocket: Jupiter-C launch site: Cape Canaveral [*]France 1965 Nov 26 satellite: Asterix 1 rocket: Diamant launch site: Algeria Japan 1970 Feb 11 satellite: Ohsumi rocket: Lambda 4S-5 launch site: Kagoshima China 1970 Apr 24 satellite: Mao 1 rocket: Long March-1 launch site: Inner Mongolia Great Britain 1971 Oct 28 satellite: Black Knight 1 rocket: Black Arrow launch site: Woomera Australia Europe 1979 Dec 24 satellite: CAT rocket: Ariane launch site: Kourou, French Guiana India 1980 Jul 18 satellite: Rohini 1 rocket: Satellite Launch Vehicle launch site: Sriharikota Island Israel 1988 Sep 19 satellite: Horizon 1 rocket: Shavit launch site: Negev Desert Iraq 1989 Dec 5 satellite: rocket 3rd stage rocket: three-stage rocket launch site: Al-Anbar Satellites are part of daily life, used around the world for communications, weather forecasting, navigation, observing land, sea and air, scientific research, military reconnaissance and numerous other purposes. In addition, hundreds of men and women have lived and worked aboard space shuttles and space stations, which are manned satellites in Earth orbit. <CENTER><HR width=300 noShade SIZE=1>Missiles vs. Rockets <HR width=300 noShade SIZE=1></CENTER> A ballistic missile is a rocket that fires its engines until all fuel is expended and then lets gravity drop its warhead payload onto a pre-planned target. It is a ground-to-ground weapon. Iran's rocket and payload for spaceflight: the medium-range ballistic missile, Shahab-3 the 44-lb. satellite, Safir-31 Iran plans to modify a Shahab-3 to blast the small satellite up to such a high altitude above the atmosphere that it will be in orbit around Earth. The payload will stay up there for a period of time and then fall back down into the atmosphere and burn up. Military missiles are categorized by their ranges. Here are the types: BSRBM is a battlefield short range missile capable of a very short flight of less than 100 miles. SRBM is a short range ballistic missile that travels from 100-500 miles. An example is the Russian SCUD missile, which has been exported to more countries than any other type of guided ballistic missile. Iraq fired 93 SCUDs during the Persian Gulf War in 1991. North Korea produced a version of the SCUD it called Hwasong. <!-- USAF IMAGE OF USA MINUTEMAN LAUNCH ---------------------------------- --><TABLE cellSpacing=20 cellPadding=0 width=279 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=right> Launch of a Minuteman ICBM USAF photo</TD><!-- original image 279 x 481 --></TR></TBODY></TABLE> MRBM is a medium range ballistic missile that travels from 500-1500 miles. Iran's Shahab-3 missile has a range of 800 miles, which makes it an MRBM. It was derived from North Korea's No-dong missile as is Pakistan's Ghauri missile. IRBM is an intermediate range ballistic missile that can hit a target 1,500-3,400 miles away. IRBMs frequently have been turned into launchers for small satellites. This is accomplished by adding upper stages to the rocket. For example, during the early days of space launches in in the United States, the Thor, Redstone and Jupiter missiles were turned into space rockets. A modified Jupiter known as Jupiter-C launched America's first satellite, Explorer 1. Other examples of IRBMs turned into space launchers include Israel's Shavit rocket and North Korea's Taep'o-dong rocket. ICBM is an intercontinental ballistic missile that can strike a target 3,400 to 9,200 miles away. That makes it a global weapon. An ICBM has two or more rocket stages and flies up as high as 700 miles before dropping its warhead payload on a target. The United States, Russia, and China have operational ICBM warfare systems. Other nations, including India, Pakistan, Iran, Israel and North Korea, may have ICBMs, but not organized systems. Some examples of American ICBMs include Atlas, Titan, Minuteman and Peacekeeper. Recently, American Titan and Minuteman ICBMs, and Russian SS-9 Cyclone ICBMs, have been converted into space rockets. BEATING SWORDS INTO PLOWSHARES SLBM is a submarine launched ballistic missile that can deliver a nuclear weapon payload. An example of an SLBM is the United States' Trident intercontinental ballistic missile, which is armed with nuclear warheads and launched from submarines. Russia's Shitl space rocket was derived from the SS-N-23 SLBM. SUBMARINE NOVOMOSCOVSK LAUNCHES SATELLITES
More info.... FWIW.... interesting... a bit dated... but interesting none the less..... hindsight and 20/20 .... http://www.space.com/news/ap_051130_iran_space.html <TABLE border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left width=355>[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif]Iran Plans to Boost Space Program [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif]By Ali Akbar Dareini Associated Press Writer [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica]posted: 30 November 2005 10:10 a.m. ET[/FONT] </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – Iran's space agency is trying to snap up technology from abroad as fast as possible for its satellite program, fearing the West will seek to impose restrictions like those put on the Iranian nuclear program. Iran has major ambitions in space, looking to show off its technological abilities, monitor its neighborhood – where the United States has hundreds of thousands of troops – and establish itself as a regional superpower. Others are concerned about the program's military applications, particularly Israel, whose existence is opposed by the hard-line Islamic regime in Iran. Iran's Shahab-3 missile, with a range of 1,240 miles, already can reach Israel as well as U.S. forces across the Middle East. Iran says it only wants to be able to put its own satellites in space to monitor natural disasters in the earthquake-prone nation and improve its telecommunications. It makes similar peaceful claims for its atomic program, but Washington and others suspect the real aim of that work is to acquire nuclear weapons and have sought to clamp down on Iran's nuclear facilities. Iran worries its space program will be targeted, too. “The moment they feel Iran has made a breakthrough, they will impose restrictions more than those they have imposed on Iran's nuclear program,'' said one space official, Mohammad Reza Movaseghinia. Iran joined the space club last month when it launched its first small satellite, the Sina-1, aboard a Russian rocket. That orbiter was Russian-made, but Iran built its second satellite, the Mesbah, with help from the Italian company Carlo Gavazzi Space. Mesbah is due to be carried into space by a Russian rocket in about two months. The two satellites will give Iran a limited capability to monitor the entire Middle East. Iran's next goal is to launch a satellite with one of its own rockets. Iranian officials say they are developing a Shahab-4 missile that could lift a satellite into orbit, but have not given details on when it will be ready. “We have to move quickly and achieve our goals in space. Otherwise, we will face political, economic and security threats,'' Movaseghinia said. Space agency officials have not given details on what technology or expertise they need from abroad, but they have been racing to learn as much as they can. Under its 20-year plan, Iran aims to become a technological powerhouse of western Asia and a regional superpower by 2025. Aerospace faculties have mushroomed at Iranian universities in recent years, and Iranian technicians are being trained in Italy, Russia and China on how to design and build satellites. The government has allocated $500 million on space projects for the next five years, Communication Minister Mohammad Soleimani said last week. Iran is now the world's 43rd country owning a satellite, but the government aims higher. “We have to build our own satellites, our own launchers. We need to be one of eight top countries mastering space technology,'' said Ahmad Talebzadeh, the head of the Iranian Space Agency. Iranian officials point to America's use of space to monitor Afghanistan and Iraq before invading them and say they need similar abilities for their country's security. Israel also is a leader in satellite technology. Cameras on its Ofek-5 spy satellite have been keeping tabs on activities in Arab countries and Iran since 2002. Iran says the Sina-1 satellite is capable of monitoring Israel but has no military purposes. Officials describe it as a research satellite and say its camera can't pick out features that are smaller than 50 yards across. U.S. satellites can detect objects just a few feet wide. Russia, which has helped the Iranians with their nuclear program, appears to be the main partner in transferring space technology to Iran. “Nuclear officials told us that they don't have a good experience of dealing with Russia,'' said Talebzadeh, referring to Moscow's slowness in completing a nuclear power plant in Iran. ``But countries we can obtain technology from is limited. And we can't ignore the fact that Russia is a world leader in space technology.'' In January, Iran signed a $132 million deal with a Russian firm to build and launch a telecommunications satellite within the next two years. Iran has also signed agreements to launch a joint satellite with China and Thailand. “We are at the very beginning of a long, long road in space technology. But we have the potential to develop an indigenous space program,'' said Mohammad Entezari, who is in charge of Iran's Mesbah satellite project.
Would be kinda fun if we sent a sattelite killer and knocked it out of space. I'm kinda douting that Isreal will let this go on for very long.
