The Rocky Mountain Collegian

Issue date: 2/4/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Associated Press This photo released by the Fars News Agency claims to show two men in front of an Iranian satellite launching rocket named "Safir-2", translated in English as "Ambassador-2", carrying the satellite "Omid", or "Hope" in English, left, photographed prior to launch at an undisclosed location on Monday. Iran has successfully sent its first domestically made satellite into orbit, the country's president announced Tuesday, claiming a significant step in an ambitious space program that has worried many international observers. (AP Photo/Fars News Agency)

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran sent its first domestically made satellite into orbit, the president announced Tuesday, a key step for an ambitious space program that worries the U.S. and other world powers because the same rocket technology used to launch satellites can also deliver warheads.

For nearly a decade, Iran has sought to develop a national space program, creating unease among international leaders already concerned about its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The telecommunications satellite - called Omid, or hope, in Farsi - was launched late Monday after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave the order to proceed, according to a report on state radio. State television showed footage of what it said was the nighttime liftoff of the rocket carrying the satellite at an unidentified location in Iran.

A U.S. counterproliferation official confirmed the launch and suggested the technology was not sophisticated. Speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence gathering, the official said it appeared it "isn't too far removed from Sputnik," the first Soviet orbiter launched in 1957.

The TV report praised the launch as part of festivities marking the 30th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the U.S.-backed Shah and brought hard-line clerics to power.

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