Iran announced on Wednesday that the new generation of its hi-tech satellites would be sent into orbit on the back of a new home-made carrier named 'Simorgh' -Phoenix"The national satellites which were unveiled today will be sent into space by Simorgh satellite carrier," Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi told reporters here in Tehran today, referring to two hi-tech satellites, namely 'Tolou' (Rise) and 'Mesbah' (Lantern), which are reportedly the new generation of Iran-made satellites
He also declared that the country plans to send heavy satellites into higher altitudes in future
Iran on Wednesday unveiled a new home-made satellite carrier capable of carrying 60-kilogram (132-pound) satellites 500 kilometers (310 miles) into orbit
The satellite carrier named 'Simorgh' utilizes a new generation of liquid-fuel engines to put satellites in orbit
The milk-bottle shaped rocket, emblazoned in blue with the words "Satellite Carrier Simorgh," is equipped to carry a 60-kilogram (132-pound) satellite 500 kilometers (310 miles) into orbit
The 27-meter (90-foot) tall multi-stage rocket weighs 85 tons and its liquid fuel propulsion system has a thrust of up to 143 tons. The rocket uses a cluster of four engines each having a thrust of 32 tons plus a control engine with a thrust of 15 tons
Experts believe that the engine could be used in future for carrying 700-kilogram (1540-pound) satellites 1000 kilometers (620 miles) into orbit
Simorgh is different from Iran's first home-made satellite carrier Safir (Ambassador) - which carried Iran's Omid (Hope) satellite - both in length and diameter and has been designed to carry the new generation of Iranian satellites into the orbit
Omid (hope) was Iran's first research satellite that was designed for gathering information and testing equipment. After orbiting for three months, Omid successfully completed its mission without any problems. It completed more than 700 orbits over seven weeks and reentered the earth's atmosphere on April 25
Also, Iran in November announced that it is slated to launch another research satellite, the Mesbah 2, in 2011 as part of the country's efforts to own an independent space program
Mesbah, which means "Lantern," has a lifespan of three years. It is equipped with a store and forward communications receiver that can gather information from various parts of the planet and transmit it back to the Earth
Mesbah will weigh 63.5 kilograms, more than twice the mass of Omid, which was placed into orbit on the back of two carrier rockets last February
The Iranian defense minister had also announced in December that Tehran had built a new hi-tech satellite named Tolou, adding that the satellite developed and produced by Iran's Electronics Industries Co. (SA Iran) was a bold step towards the country's active and permanent presence in the field of space
