Iran plans new satellite launch

Iran plans to launch new satellites for data and image transmission by March next year, Telecommunications Minister Reza Taqipour has said.

“The satellites, which will be sent into space this year, have telecommunications and filming applications,” Taqipour said in Moscow, where he met his Russian counterpart Igor Shchegolev.

“The Iranian-made satellites are being tested … if the tests are successful, they will be sent into space,” he added.

Taqipour said the satellite would be launched once the “launcher, the ground station and the guidance system are ready.”

Iran placed its first domestically-made satellite, named Omid (Hope), into orbit in February last year.

In February 2010, Iran unveiled three new satellites and a satellite carrier — Tolou, Mesbah II and Navid — designed and produced for telecommunications purposes.