Iranian Space Agency (ISA) Director Ahmad Talebzadeh said in Tehran today that ISA plans to send two new research rockets into space following the successful test of Explorer-1 rocket on 4 February.
Talebzadeh said Explorer-2 and Explorer-3 rockets will be sent into orbit “in the near future.” Informed sources have said that the two rockets will be launched by mid-March.
ISA on Sunday announced that the Explorer-1 is sending data back to earth from an altitude of up to 250 kilometers.
The Explorer-4 rocket is planned to carry Iran’s first homemade satellite named Omid (Hope) into orbit. No exact date for the launch has been announced.
The technologies required for launching a space rocket are similar to the technologies used in a long-range ballistic missile. Talebzadeh said, however, that Iran’s space activities are “absolutely peaceful.”
ISA has extended grants to Iranian universities to conduct research on designing and manufacturing of the satellites.