Source: alalam.ir, 04-02-2008
TEHRAN- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday inaugurated the
country's first home-built space center which will serve as a base for the launch of research satellites.
The space center includes a research satellite called Omid (Hope), an underground control station and space launchpad.
The ability to launch satellites into orbit indicates an advance in Iran's missile technology.
"Omid Satellite is the Islamic Republic's first locally-made satellite which will be set at a low orbit," IRNA said adding that it would be launched in the next Iranian calendar year which begins on March 20.
The space center was to be opened by shooting a probe rocket into space, state television said.
"We need to have an active and influential presence in space," President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a televised ceremony ahead of the launch.
State television showed live footage of a rocket standing on a launchpad in desert terrain. But few details were given about the launch vehicle.
Iran often announces advances in its missile technology. In February 2005 the country successfully tested its first space rocket.
The Iranian launcher is based on the Shahab 3 missile, which has a range of 1,300-1,600 kilometers (800-1,000 miles), a step analysts at the time said could add more power to Iran's missile technology.