Tehran
An Iranian rocket failed to put a satellite into orbit on Sunday, state television reported, the latest setback for a programme the United States claims helps Tehran advance its ballistic missile programme.
The launch happened at Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Iran’s Semnan province, some 230 kilometres southeast of Iran’s capital, Tehran. A Simorgh, or “Phoenix”, rocket couldn’t put the Zafar 1 communications satellite into orbit, however, due to a low speed, Iranian state TV reported.
“Stage-1 and stage-2 motors of the carrier functioned properly and the satellite was successfully detached from its carrier, but at the end of its path it did not reach the required speed for being put in the orbit,” Defence Ministry space programme spokesman Ahmad Hosseini told state TV.– AP
