TEHRAN, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Thursday successfully launched an indigenous satellite carrier in low earth orbit, Tasnim news agency reported.
The rocket, Simorgh, is able to carry satellites weighing as much as 250 kilograms at an orbit about 500 km above the earth's surface, the report said.
The launch, carried out by Imam Khomeini National Space Center, marked official inauguration of the space base.
Designed and built in compliance with international standards, the space center is able to handle all space projects including preparation, launch, and control and steering in the low earth orbit (LEO).
Iran's minister of information and communications technology said earlier that Iran has plans to send two satellites into space by the end of the current Iranian calendar year, ending on March 20, 2018, according to Press TV.
Mahmoud Vaezi also said that Iran will sign a contract with a Russian company on the manufacture of a remote-sensing satellite.
Iran successfully launched its first indigenous data-processing satellite, Omid (Hope), into orbit in February 2009.
The country also sent its first bio-capsule containing living creatures into space in February 2010, using Kavoshgar-3, Explorer-3, carrier.
In February 2015, Iran also placed the domestically-made Fajr (Dawn) satellite into orbit. The satellite is capable of taking and transmitting high-quality and accurate pictures to stations on earth.
