Iran Signals Space Ambitions With Rocket Launch

Iran graphically signalled its ambition to join the elite group of countries in space today by claiming to have reached orbit with a rocket capable of carrying satellites.

In a move that drew criticism from the Bush administration, Iranian television beamed footage of a rocket called Explorer-1 being fired after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave the launch order. Officials in the control room were heard chanting "God is great" as it lifted off.

State TV said the rocket had reached "space", generally defined to begin at 100km (62.5miles) above Earth.

Ahmadinejad hailed the launch as a major landmark. "We need to have an active and influential presence in space. Building and launching a satellite is a very important achievement," he told a televised ceremony at which he officially opened Iran's first space center.

A White House spokesman, Gordon Johndroe, condemned the test, saying: "It's unfortunate Iran continues to test ballistic missiles. This regime continues to take steps that only further isolate it and the Iranian people from the international community."

Today's launch was a forerunner to the anticipated firing of Iran's first satellite, Omid (Hope), scheduled for early next year. Iranian scientists have reportedly spent 10 years developing the satellite.

If fired successfully, Iran will become the 11th nation to have its own satellite in orbit since the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957. A satellite jointly developed by Iran and Russia was launched on Russian soil in 2005.

Iran insists the satellite will be used to improve telephone and internet services while also monitoring natural disasters. But some analysts say it will also give the Islamic regime the capacity to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles, which are guided using satellite technology.

Bhavini Rama, a research fellow with the Center for defense and International Security Studies, said Iran had not released enough detail about its satellite to assess whether it could be used for such purposes.

"It's probably going to be an observation satellite and could be used for intelligence purposes," she said. "This is a big step for Iran but it still has a long way to go in terms of catching up with the US and other space powers."