Iran launches Navid observation satellite
Iran has launched an observation satellite into orbit above Earth, RT reported, citing IRNA news agency. It quoted the head of Iran's Space Organization, Hamid Fazeli, as saying that the Navid satellite “was launched successfully” on Friday.
The satellite will be placed into orbit at an altitude of between 250 and 370 kilometers.
The 50-kilogram spacecraft is expected to stay in orbit for 18 months and send back images, AFP said.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who led the launch ceremony, said it marked the beginning of an immense labor that "holds the promise of friendship for all mankind.”