[FPSPACE] Confusion: Did Iran launch a satellite into space?

[Peter Pesavento]

http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Iran_says_its_space_probe_sending_d_02172008.ht
ml

 

>From Agency France Presse:

 

It appears that they may have launched a satellite into orbit pick-a-back on
their sounding rocket.but is it real?

 

It seems that what the report is saying is that some form of test satellite
reached space.

 

But this isn't clear, not by any stretch.

 

Can anyone confirm?

 

Perhaps it did a suborbital hop?  The satellite?

 

If anyone knows, please help.

 

Iran says its space probe sending data to earth

 

Published: Sunday February 17, 2008

 

Iran on Sunday said a probe it sent into space on the back of rocket whose
launch caused international concern was sending data back to earth from an
altitude of up to 250 kilometres (155 miles).

Kavoshgar (Explorer) was launched earlier this month on what Iran touted as
its first rocket to be sent into space on a mission to prepare for the
launch of its first home-produced Iranian satellite later this year.

"Kavoshgar has reached an altitude of 200 to 250 kilometres (125-155
miles)," Mohsen Mir Shams, the deputy head of Iran's space organisation,
told the government newspaper Iran.

"Since its launch Kavoshgar has been sending real-time data back to base
which we are analysing to see if its systems are working perfectly or not,"
he added.

He said the satellite, which Iranian officials have predicted will be
launched this summer, will be put into orbit at a "altitude of 650
kilometres (400 miles) above the earth and can pass over Iran six times
every 24 hours."

The Kavoshgar probe would be returning to earth, he added, without giving
further details.

The United States condemned the rocket launch as unfortunate and said it
risked further isolating Iran from the international community at a time of
growing tensions over Tehran's nuclear programme.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has also said Moscow "does not
approve of Iran's permanent demonstration of its intentions to develop its
rocket sector."

But President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lauded the launch as a national success
and said Iran would launch two more rockets before the satellite is sent
into space.

Iran has pursued a space programme for several years, and in October 2005 a
Russian-made Iranian satellite named Sina-1 was put into orbit by a Russian
rocket.

In a separate development, Iran on Sunday said it had successfully tested an
"upgraded" version of its Russian-made surface-to-air S-200 missile defence
system.

"This missile system has been upgraded and optimised by Iranian
specialists," the state-run IRNA agency said.