Iran Sends First Satellite into Orbit

[Sapiens]

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8705270595

Iran Sends First Satellite into Orbit

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran successfully orbited its first home-made satellite Sunday morning.





The satellite named Omid (Hope) has been designed and built by Iranian specialists and was orbited by an Iranian carrier rocket.

In February Tehran successfully launched the Explorer-1 research rocket, which is capable of carrying a satellite into orbit, and unveiled the country's first domestically built satellite, Omid.

The achievement has drawn much attention from around the world, specially from among Muslim nations, as Iran is under heavy sanctions by the West and the UN Security Council making it develop the technology and build every part and equipment needed in the field of aerospace.

The satellite was sent into orbit today on the occasion of the birthday anniversary of Shiites' 12th Imam (May God Hasten His Reappearance).

Joint Chief of Staff on Sunday congratulated Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and brave Iranian nation on successful launching of the rocket carrying the country's first satellite.

In a message issued on Sunday, the Joint Chief of Staff said the rocket carrying the country's first satellite, was successfully fired on the birth Anniversary of the last Imam of Shiites, Hazrat Mahdi (May God Hasten His Reappearance), thus illustrating the auspicious name of the Imam in the space.

The message said the launching marks the second instance of successful tentative firing of such rockets.

[GRG55]

Re: Iran Sends First Satellite into Orbit

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8705270595

Ask them if they can track cars and impose congestion charges in central Tehran with this device...:rolleyes:

[metalman]

Re: Iran Sends First Satellite into Orbit

Ask them if they can track cars and impose congestion charges in central Tehran with this device...:rolleyes:

no way these guys can make a nuclear weapon and deliver it. look how primitive their science is

[Guest]

Re: Iran Sends First Satellite into Orbit

They are working on this. Meantime they have an early pilot project to offer excellent satellite assisted vehicle tracking and "congestion guidance" in Haifa, or Tel Aviv. It has been offered to the Israelis as a commercial service but the Israelis (grumpily and ingratiously) declined. You can chalk that up as another exmple of creeping international "protectionism". The Israelis want to use some domestic satellite service rather than get a discounted comparative service from Iran. A blatant example of protectionism.

Ask them if they can track cars and impose congestion charges in central Tehran with this device...:rolleyes:

[GRG55]

Re: Iran Sends First Satellite into Orbit

They are working on this. Meantime they have an early pilot project to offer excellent satellite assisted vehicle tracking and "congestion guidance" in Haifa, or Tel Aviv. It has been offered to the Israelis as a commercial service but the Israelis (grumpily and ingratiously) declined. You can chalk that up as another exmple of creeping international "protectionism". The Israelis want to use some domestic satellite service rather than get a discounted comparative service from Iran. A blatant example of protectionism.

They should call in the WTO and whack 'em...

[c1ue]

Re: Iran Sends First Satellite into Orbit

I'm surprised Israel isn't more paranoid - a ground tracking system based on a satellite is perfect for missile guidance.

[ASH]

Re: Iran Sends First Satellite into Orbit

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8705270595

Is this real? You guys do realize that the ability to put a satellite in orbit means unlimited range (e.g. intercontinental) for a missile? I may not be current, but last time I checked, the Iranians didn't have anywhere near that kind of throw.

Note, also, that the Pentagon says this wasn't successful:

Pentagon doubts Iranian rocket test succeeded

[ASH]

Re: Iran Sends First Satellite into Orbit

I'm surprised Israel isn't more paranoid - a ground tracking system based on a satellite is perfect for missile guidance.

I think inertial measurement is probably the more fundamental guidance technology for ballistic missiles. Probably laser gyroscopes. It's not just position, but also attitude.

I agree that satellite navigation could be used in combination with an IMU (inertial measurement unit), but why bother launching their own satellite constellation when there's already GPS to piggy-back on?

(I don't work in this area, but my wife used to manage a flight software team for a small aerospace company that built rockets -- I'm passing along what I learned from her at the dinner table.)

[metalman]

Re: Iran Sends First Satellite into Orbit

Is this real? You guys do realize that the ability to put a satellite in orbit means unlimited range (e.g. intercontinental) for a missile? I may not be current, but last time I checked, the Iranians didn't have anywhere near that kind of throw.

Note, also, that the Pentagon says this wasn't successful:

Pentagon doubts Iranian rocket test succeeded

if you can believe reuters

CORRECTED (OFFICIAL) - Iran puts first dummy satellite in space

Sun Aug 17, 2008 1:53pm EDT









TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran put a dummy satellite into orbit on a home-grown rocket for the first time on Sunday, proving its capacity to launch satellites, the head of Iran's aerospace body said.

"The Safir satellite carrier was launched today and for the first time we successfully launched a dummy satellite into orbit," Reza Taghizadeh told state television.

Iranian state media had earlier wrongly reported that Iran had put a domestically made Omid (Hope) satellite into orbit.

[ASH]

Re: Iran Sends First Satellite into Orbit

if you can believe reuters

I can believe Reuters quoting the official line from Iran. Reuters doesn't have phased array radar.

You can bet the United States monitors Iranian rocket tests very closely, and if Iran put anything into orbit, it would be easy to detect and track.

Since the Pentagon says not, then either they have a reason to down-play the threat that this represents, or the Iranians are pretending to be North Koreans (re: North Korean claims to have launched a satellite when they fired an ICBM over Japan).

Further, I would note that the Iranians are supposedly using a two-stage launch vehicle. That is more likely capable of a sub-orbital flight than actually putting something into orbit.

[metalman]

Re: Iran Sends First Satellite into Orbit

I can believe Reuters quoting the official line from Iran. Reuters doesn't have phased array radar.

You can bet the United States monitors Iranian rocket tests very closely, and if Iran put anything into orbit, it would be easy to detect and track.

Since the Pentagon says not, then either they have a reason to down-play the threat that this represents, or the Iranians are pretending to be North Koreans (re: North Korean claims to have launched a satellite when they fired an ICBM over Japan).

Further, I would note that the Iranians are supposedly using a two-stage launch vehicle. That is more likely capable of a sub-orbital flight than actually putting something into orbit.

well then here's a reliable source ;)

Iran criticizes Western reactions to its rocket launch

TEHRAN, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Mostafa Mohammad Najjar Monday criticized Western governments' reactions to his country's scientific breakthrough, the official IRNA news agency said.
Enemies are trying to distort Iran's scientific achievements, portraying them as a military issue, the minister was quoted as saying.
"Enemies of the Iranian nation have not spared any efforts to portray Iran's scientific, technical and peaceful achievements as a military success," he said.
"However, the awakening and justice-seeking conscience of world nations know the reality," he added.
Iran announced Sunday that it launched a satellite into space earlier in the day, the country's first domestically made.
The defense minister considered the satellite-carrier rocket as "a precise guided launcher", which "can carry different satellites into the space and put them in pre-planned position," IRNA said.
The launch of Safir rocket is aimed to test remote sensing, satellite telemetry, and geographic information system (GIS) technology as well as remote and ground station data processing, he said.
All pre-planned goals have been achieved, he added.
Iran's satellite carrier launch has aroused the West's concerns that Iran is developing long-range ballistic missile technology which can be used to launch nuclear weapons.
White House Spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Sunday that the Iranian development and testing of rockets "is troubling and raises further questions about their intentions."

[ASH]

Re: Iran Sends First Satellite into Orbit

well then here's a reliable source ;)
[URL="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/18/content_9481613.htm"]

Well, I would hazard a guess that if anyone in America's national security apparatus actually believed the Iranian claims of a successful launch and orbital flight, a near-term strike on Iran would be virtually assured. My perception is that an Iranian rocket with intercontinental range is a red line. Until I'm proven incorrect, I'm going to assume that this was a failed test of a 2-stage rocket that would not have been capable of orbital flight in any case.

[bart]

Re: Iran Sends First Satellite into Orbit

Is this real? You guys do realize that the ability to put a satellite in orbit means unlimited range (e.g. intercontinental) for a missile?

I urge very high caution on that conclusion.

Iran has publicly tested and admitted to missiles with a range of 100-150 miles. "Space" is a lot less than 150 miles away.

[ASH]

Re: Iran Sends First Satellite into Orbit

I urge very high caution on that conclusion.

Iran has publicly tested and admitted to missiles with a range of 100-150 miles. "Space" is a lot less than 150 miles away.

Bart, I have the utmost respect for your knowledge in the financial and economic realm, but physics doesn't work that way. Hitting a spot on earth that is 150 miles laterally from the launch site is a different proposition from lifting the same mass 150 miles vertically. Also, getting to orbit isn't the same thing as displacing the satellite by 150 miles vertically.

[phirang]

Re: Iran Sends First Satellite into Orbit

Bart, I have the utmost respect for your knowledge in the financial and economic realm, but physics doesn't work that way. Hitting a spot on earth that is 150 miles laterally from the launch site is a different proposition from lifting the same mass 150 miles vertically. Also, getting to orbit isn't the same thing as displacing the satellite by 150 miles vertically.

Anything is possible with enough falaqa and flaggelation.