Iran to launch new satellite in 2011

Iran plans to put a new satellite into orbit in 2011, Iran's Deputy Defense Minister Ahmad Vahid-Dastjerdi said, RNA reported.

He said that Iran has achieved major success in space technology and that by developing its military technology, the Islamic Republic is becoming a strong regional, as well as global, power.

The first Iranian-made satellite, Umid, was launched into orbit on the carrier rocket Safir on February 3, 2009. This event was dedicated to the thirtieth anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. Iran first orbited a living organism in early February 2010.