http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/world/middleeast/04iran.html?_r=1&hp – registration required
Iran Says It Has Launched Satellite
By ALAN COWELL – New York Times
LONDON — Iran said Tuesday it had launched what it described as its first satellite produced domestically as part of an effort to build a space industry.
The launch on Monday, coinciding with celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of the Islamic revolution, came at a time when the United States and other powers are worried about Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its deployment of long-range ballistic missiles with potential military uses.
It also came soon after President Obama struck a conciliatory tone toward Iran, conditionally offering dialogue after years of increasing tension over fears that Tehran wants to develop nuclear missiles — which Iran’s leaders deny.
The official news agency, IRNA, said the satellite was launched using a Safir-2 rocket and was “successfully set into orbit.”
The satellite was named Omid, meaning hope, IRNA said, and was sent into space as a “data-processing satellite project” that began in March 2005 as “the first practical step toward acquiring national space technology.”
“The project’s experts focused on manufacturing the equipment and helping develop the potential of domestic companies to carry out such projects,” IRNA said. Weapons experts say the same technology used to put satellites into orbit can also be used for launching weapons.
Since Mr. Obama’s inauguration, outside powers have been looking for clues as to whether Tehran is prepared to make new concessions in the nuclear dispute. They have also been waiting to see how the new American president will pursue his overtures, designed to halt Iran’s uranium enrichment program.
On Wednesday, the group of nations dealing with the Iran issue — the United States, Russia, Britain, China, France and Germany — is to meet in Frankfurt, Germany, for its first talks since Mr. Obama took office.
Last August, Iran test-fired a new rocket capable of carrying a satellite into orbit. Western experts said at the time that the launching represented a potentially significant, if much-delayed, step in Iran’s efforts to join the international space club.
The rocket was identified by state news media as the Safir-e Omid, messenger of hope, and was said to have been fired in two stages. Experts said the first stage consisted of a Shahab, a standard rocket in Iran’s arsenal, topped by a liquid-fueled second stage and possibly a small solid-fueled third stage.
In the latest launch, Iranian state television showed footage of a rocket blasting off from a firing platform in a huge blast of smoke flame as it clambered into the night sky. 
In this August 2008 photograph taken at an undisclosed location in Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad looks at a satellite launching vehicle. (Fars News Agency/Vahid Reza Alaei/Associated Press)
“Dear Iranian nation, your children have placed the first indigenous satellite into orbit,” Reuters quoted President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as saying in a televised message.
“With God’s help and the desire for justice and peace, the official presence of the Islamic Republic was registered in space,” he said.
The Omid was designed to gather information and test equipment, the television said, according to Reuters, and will circle the earth 14 times a day.
By: kfeltenberger - 18th February 2009 at 20:17
I think inaccuracy would be much bigger than a few miles. Looking at the dirty bomb again a big inaccuracy in the system might lead to the irradiation of a suburb or the hinterlands. The big target – the city center is unlikely to be hit. Still not a fail, but not a big win. Worth inviting direct regime change – doubtful.
If someone lobs a dirty bomb at my country, whether it hits the intended target or not, “regime change” is going to be a real polite way of putting what I’d advocate to happen to the country that launched the weapon. I think they’d only wish we stopped at “regime change”…
By: Starviking - 18th February 2009 at 11:50
If you’re aiming for something 30 miles across being off center a couple miles isn’t going to matter at all.
Doesn’t really address the point I was making. Considering one of the touted terror weapons of the last few years: the dirty bomb. If the RV breaks up in the upper atmosphere then the radioactive material would get dispersed over such a wide area as to be a minor irritant.
I think inaccuracy would be much bigger than a few miles. Looking at the dirty bomb again a big inaccuracy in the system might lead to the irradiation of a suburb or the hinterlands. The big target – the city center is unlikely to be hit. Still not a fail, but not a big win. Worth inviting direct regime change – doubtful.
I also wonder what effect on accuracy a low-tech booster would have? Could that with a poor RV design and you could be looking at a massive CEP – hundreds of miles.
By: sferrin - 16th February 2009 at 23:51
Because as they learned from their neigbour SCUDs are not as effective , easier to track and intercept, easier to knock off before launch , etc. Plus if they ever develop a nuke, due to capacity they will at worse case scenario ever have few dozen warheads… which would be on top of ICBMs if they ever develop one,
I take it my question sailed WAY over your head. Either that or geography isn’t one of your strong points.
By: DJ. - 16th February 2009 at 21:26
And why would you be shooting an ICBM from Iran to Israel? Jeez, you say I’m simplistic, use your head man.
Because as they learned from their neigbour SCUDs are not as effective , easier to track and intercept, easier to knock off before launch , etc. Plus if they ever develop a nuke, due to capacity they will at worse case scenario ever have few dozen warheads… which would be on top of ICBMs if they ever develop one,
By: sferrin - 16th February 2009 at 13:39
What with the stresses involved in reentry you might find that a ‘stupid easy’ RV may either be too heavy for an effective payload or may break-up high in the atmosphere and far from its target.
If you’re aiming for something 30 miles across being off center a couple miles isn’t going to matter at all.
By: sferrin - 16th February 2009 at 13:36
How about Israel.. you want them landing in Jordan Syria or Egypt??
The point being creating re-entry whiecle even with 2-3 Mile CEP is still significant technological challange.. when 0.1 of degree error would result in damned thing ending up few hundreds rather than few miles of target.
And why would you be shooting an ICBM from Iran to Israel? Jeez, you say I’m simplistic, use your head man.
By: Starviking - 16th February 2009 at 13:25
Iran has just announced a plan for manned missions – first flight planned for 2021…
http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Iran_To_Launch_First_Manned_Spaceflight_By_2021_999.html
By: Starviking - 16th February 2009 at 11:04
2. Reentry tech could be stupid easy if you just need a terror weapon that survives to the ground and it’s okay if it’s off target by a couple miles.
What with the stresses involved in reentry you might find that a ‘stupid easy’ RV may either be too heavy for an effective payload or may break-up high in the atmosphere and far from its target.
Anyhow, if they’re firing off a terror weapon doesn’t that mean the end of the Islamic Republic of Iran one way or another?
By: DJ. - 16th February 2009 at 04:55
I doubt Israel has capability or would risk going at it alone… a repeat of US debackle with hostage rescue would be major blow to Israels “intimidation” levels they rely to keep Arabs from even thinking of something stupid. Do not forget that new US administration is trying to “talk” to whackjob in Iran, they would consider any Israeli solo action as slap in the face.. especially since US tax payer is funding IDF.
By: Arkali106 - 16th February 2009 at 04:27
All this is moot. This capability will be destroyed by Israel before it becomes a missile threat to them. We should be thinking, how many years will it take Iran to rebuild the capability, and what their regime will be like then?
By: DJ. - 16th February 2009 at 03:51
Not if the target is the US. Who do you think Iran would be shooting an ICBM at Cuba?
How about Israel.. you want them landing in Jordan Syria or Egypt??
The point being creating re-entry whiecle even with 2-3 Mile CEP is still significant technological challange.. when 0.1 of degree error would result in damned thing ending up few hundreds rather than few miles of target.
By: sferrin - 16th February 2009 at 03:03
I think you are as usual over simplifying task at hand.. and btw Couple of miles could mean a different country.
Not if the target is the US. Who do you think Iran would be shooting an ICBM at Cuba?
By: DJ. - 16th February 2009 at 01:19
1. You don’t need 2m dia. (see Minuteman)
2. Reentry tech could be stupid easy if you just need a terror weapon that survives to the ground and it’s okay if it’s off target by a couple miles.
I think you are as usual over simplifying task at hand.. and btw Couple of miles could mean a different country.
By: sferrin - 15th February 2009 at 23:06
I agree with that
1. You don’t need 2m dia. (see Minuteman)
2. Reentry tech could be stupid easy if you just need a terror weapon that survives to the ground and it’s okay if it’s off target by a couple miles.
By: DJ. - 15th February 2009 at 21:31
I really doubt if Iran has unlimited access to all three.
Besides, their “space rocket” looks like an IRBM booster on steroids for me, and the fact is that they will not master >2m diameter centerbody tech for some years to come. That is the real challenge, together with re-entry tech.
I agree with that
By: RSM55 - 11th February 2009 at 15:55
Once again you missed the point Sferrin. USSR and USA did not figure it out on their own.. they took wealth of NAZI knowledge and hired NAZI murders such as now Hero and Moon landing architect Von Brown, whos killed thousands of Brits and Belgians by raining V2s on them.. yes yes he never pushed the button but he did everything else.. he also had no problem watching 10,000 people die slaving in salt mines of pina munda, constructing his invention. He should have been hanged.
Agree with that, point is: both the US and the USSR were technologically advanced nations with quite an experience with rocket design even prior to WWII. Don’t need to remember liquid rocket protos in the US, Zander and the GIRD group in Russia… of course, by post-1945 standards, they all were bloody amateurs 🙂 but then, project Manhattan, while not started totally from scratch (as nothing is, actually) really strived because of a) money b) organisation c) talent.
I really doubt if Iran has unlimited access to all three.
Besides, their “space rocket” looks like an IRBM booster on steroids for me, and the fact is that they will not master >2m diameter centerbody tech for some years to come. That is the real challenge, together with re-entry tech.
By: sferrin - 11th February 2009 at 15:35
Once again you missed the point Sferrin. USSR and USA did not figure it out on their own.. they took wealth of NAZI knowledge and hired NAZI murders such as now Hero and Moon landing architect Von Brown, whos killed thousands of Brits and Belgians by raining V2s on them.. yes yes he never pushed the button but he did everything else.. he also had no problem watching 10,000 people die slaving in salt mines of pina munda, constructing his invention. He should have been hanged.
Von Braun was the main guy but they still had to figure it out on their own (“they” being Von Braun and his team). You also seemed to forget (or didn’t know) that there was more than one team working on the rocket problem in the US after WWII of which Von Braun was a member of but one. He wasn’t the all-knowing oracle you seem to think he was.
By: Arabella-Cox - 11th February 2009 at 01:55
Once again you missed the point Sferrin. USSR and USA did not figure it out on their own.. they took wealth of NAZI knowledge and hired NAZI murders such as now Hero and Moon landing architect Von Brown, whos killed thousands of Brits and Belgians by raining V2s on them.. yes yes he never pushed the button but he did everything else.. he also had no problem watching 10,000 people die slaving in salt mines of pina munda, constructing his invention. He should have been hanged.
By all understanding for your anger, you claim is a little bit off-topic. There is nothing like a Nazi in general. There were supporters of that system, but even that does not make you a criminal in general. You can blame that scientists to work for a criminal regime. You can blame those even, that they may have had the full knowledge, what will be done with their work-share to every rocket built. There were no salt-mines at Peenemünde, but I am aware that you wrote about the salt-mines in former middle Germany, where the caves were used to built such rockets. I am sure that a man like von Braun saw that slave-workers and their bad shape and did nothing about that. In which way he may have had that opportunity is another question. I agree with you, that von Braun was guilty to work for such system and had some knowledge about the results from that. For that he had to be sentenced to some years of prison. The Cold War did safe him from that. But like every ordinary criminal the justice does believe, that people can change. Despite his later achievements non could claim him a hero.
The Iraq is an example about that, when millions did support the Saddam system and did create by that millions of dead and wounded on the Iraqi and Iranian site. Just a few on the top of that system were punished or were even hanged.
It is intresting to learn, what the Iranian scientists will claim later. From the start they can not be unaware about the general nature of that program. Even their government does not hide that from the public in general. To that you can add all those, which did work for that program inside and outside the Iran.
People do have a short memory always. I do remember about the rocket-war between Iraq and Iran, when the civil population of both sides was targeted.
http://www.iranchamber.com/history/iran_iraq_war/iran_iraq_war1.php
By: DJ. - 10th February 2009 at 23:15
Once again you missed the point Sferrin. USSR and USA did not figure it out on their own.. they took wealth of NAZI knowledge and hired NAZI murders such as now Hero and Moon landing architect Von Brown, whos killed thousands of Brits and Belgians by raining V2s on them.. yes yes he never pushed the button but he did everything else.. he also had no problem watching 10,000 people die slaving in salt mines of pina munda, constructing his invention. He should have been hanged.
By: sferrin - 10th February 2009 at 19:50
Uhhh… ever heard of a German dude called Werner Von Braun?
Yeah. I don’t recall him finding any stone tablets on how to make a rocket do you?
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February 3, 2009 at 3:00 pm