TEHRAN, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- New Iranian satellite Zafar will be sent into the orbit in a few weeks, the Minister of Information and Communications Technology Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi announced on Wednesday.
Jahromi said Zafar will be launched before February 11, Tasnim news agency reported.
Two versions of Zafar have been manufactured, so that if the first launch fails, the second satellite will be immediately prepared as a replacement, he was quoted as saying.
The new satellite will be sent to space with the Iranian Simorgh satellite carrier, he added.
According to official IRNA news agency, Zafar is a 90-kg remote-sensing satellite equipped with color cameras and can be used for surveying oil reserves, mines, jungles and natural disasters.
The satellite is designed for an 18-month orbiting at an altitude of 530 km.
