MOSCOW — Iran has sent its first satellite into space in a move
expected to provide the Islamic republic with reconnaissance capabilities
over Israel and the rest of the Middle East.
On Thursday, a Kosmos-3M booster rocket successfully launched Iran's Sina-1 satellite from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in
northwestern Russia. The launch of Iran's Sina-1 satellite was deemed a
success.
Later, Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency said Sina-1 weighs
170 kilograms and has been fitted with two space cameras, Middle East Newsline reported. The satellite,
with a 20-kilogram payload, was said to have a shelf life of three years.
Russian officials said Sina-1 was developed in cooperation with Moscow
and manufactured in Iran. They said Sina-1, described as a miniature
remote-sensing facility designed to evaluate satellite design concepts, can
relay images of earth and communicate on VHF and UHF frequencies.
Western analysts called the Iranian launch a milestone. They said Iran
has achieved limited space reconnaissance capability over the entire Middle
East, including Israel.
"The satellite will be mainly used in telecommunications and taking
photographs of the earth," IRNA said. "In addition, the satellite can be
used to photograph natural disasters, resources and farmlands."
Officials said Russia had also planned to launch Iran's second
satellite, Mesbah, aboard the Kosmos-3. But they said Mesbah was damaged by
a short-circuit in the electrical system in September 2005.
Mesbah has been termed a reconnaissance satellite that contained a
communications
payload. The satellite has been produced by Italy's Carlo Gavazzi Space.
"The Mesbah would require repairs and a comprehensive inspection before
launch," an official said. "This could take several months."
The next step for Iran, the analysts said, was the launch of a satellite
on an indigenous rocket. Iran has developed an enhanced Shihab-3 missile
with a range of 2,000 kilometers and was working on a Shihab-4, with a range
of 2,500 kilometers. The Shihab-4 was meant to also serve as a space-launch
vehicle.
"The satellite launcher is apparently not ready, but they preferred to
send it already rather than wait," Tal Inbar, a researcher at Israel's
Fisher Institute for Strategic Air and Space Studies, said. "It is clear
that Iran plans to use space for military purposes. We are talking about the
first capabilities for Iran."