Posted by February 1, 2010
Source:
RIA Novosti. Pavel Lisitsyn
Iran will unveil five space projects at ceremonies starting on Monday to celebrate the victory of the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Fars news agency said.
On the third day of the festivities, known as the “Ten Days of Dawn”, Iranian authorities will hold on Wednesday a presentation of the Tolou (Rise) satellite, the Mesbah-2 and Mehdi research satellites, and the engine for the Simurgh booster rocket, all of which were domestically built.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the country’s defense officials will also attend the opening of a mission control designed to process data from the satellites.
Tehran is expected to launch the Mesbah-2 in 2011 as part of the country’s ambitions to run an independent space program.
Iran’s first research satellite, Omid (Hope), designed for gathering information and testing equipment, was orbited last February during the country’s annual celebration and successfully completed its mission on April 25, 2009.
In 2005, Iran launched its first commercial satellite, Sina-1, into orbit from a Russian rocket. Moscow appears to be Iran’s major partner in transferring space technology to the Islamic country.
The festivities will culminate on February 11, the date when revolutionary forces led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini defeated pro-government troops in armed street clashes.
MOSCOW