Iran fails to launch satellite into space

TEHRAN - Iran failed on Sunday to launch indigenous satellite Zafar into space, state IRINN TV reported.

The homemade satellite carrier Simorgh could not reach the desired speed to put the satellite into the required orbit, the spokesman for space projects of Iran's Defense Ministry was quoted as saying.

The satellite carrier put Zafar at 540 km of altitude, but the process could not be completed due to the lack of required speed by Simorgh, Ahmad Hosseini said.

Hosseini said that the Iranian space experts will analyze and work on the data, correct the problems and prepare the satellite for re-launch.

The 90-km Zafar was a remote-sensing satellite equipped with color cameras and had been designed for for surveying oil reserves, mines, jungles and natural disasters.

In Aug 2019, an Iranian rocket exploded on its launch pad at Imam Khomeini Space Center in northern Iran before its scheduled launch.

Iran sent its first bio-capsule containing living creatures into space in February 2010, using a Kavoshgar-3 (Explorer-3) carrier.

Iran's first home-built satellite, Omid (Hope), was launched in 2009.