Iran fires satellite carrier into space

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=117739§ionid=3510208



Iran on Tuesday test-fired the Kavoshgar 3 satellite carrier, sending its third explorer — with living organisms onboard — into space.

The Kavoshgar 3 (Explorer) rocket, carrying an experimental capsule, transfers telemetric data, live pictures and flight and environmental analysis data.

The Iranian Aerospace Organization (IAO) says live video transmission and the mini-environmental lab will enable further studies on the biological capsule — carrying a rat, two turtles and worms — as it leaves earth's atmosphere and enters space.

In February 2008, Iran became the 11th country to have acquired space-related technology by blasting Kavoshgar 1 into space.

The second Kavoshgar, which carried a space-lab and a restoration system, was launched in November 2008. The Kavoshgar 3 rocket is an updated version of the previous models.

Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi on Wednesday hailed the successful launch and insisted on the "peaceful" nature of Iran's space program.

"Iran will not tolerate any un-peaceful use [of space] by any country," General Vahid was quoted as saying by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).


Iran on Wednesday unveiled three new satellites and a satellite carrier, a year after it placed its first domestic research satellite into orbit.

The three satellites — Tolou, Mesbah 2 and Navid — are telecommunication satellites and have been designed and produced domestically.

Mesbah 2 is a low-orbit communications satellite, which will be eased in orbit 400 to 1600 miles above the earth.

It is designed to make the trip around the globe every couple of hours.

According to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting News (IRIB News), no date has been set for the test-flight of a Mesbah 2 prototype, currently under manufacture.

In the inauguration ceremony attended by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian Aerospace Organization (IAO) also unveiled the country's first domestic satellite carrier engine, called Simorgh.

Simorgh, which weighs 87 tons, is equipped to carry a 220-pound satellite 310 miles into orbit.

On February 3, 2009, Iran placed a research satellite, Omid, into orbit, which carried experimental satellite control devices, communications equipment and power supply systems to a distance of 250 to 350 kilometers above the earth's atmosphere.

US senators urge action on Iran Internet

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=116700§ionid=3510203


Five US Senators publically urged Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to expedite aid flow to fight Internet restrictions in Iran, amid accusations that Washington interferes in Iran's internal affairs.

In a letter made public on Wednesday, the senators urged Clinton to swiftly spend $45 million that has been earmarked over the last two years to fight Internet restrictions in countries like Iran, the New York Times reported.

In July 2009, the US Senate ratified a plan to curb what it called "censorship" in the Islamic Republic.

A bill dubbed the Victims of Iranian Censorship (VOICE) Act is aimed at funding measures "to counter Iranian government efforts to jam radio, satellite, and Internet-based transmissions."

It also allocates $30 million for the US government to expand activities of Radio Free Europe's Persian-language radio broadcasts into Iran.

Washington will also take measures to counter Tehran's "efforts to block, censor, or monitor the Internet in Iran" with another $20 million, the ratification said.

Republican Senator John McCain, one of the sponsors of the bill, said the VOICE Act would help to open up the Iranian society "by providing assistance for broadcasting and new Internet and communications technologies."

The move comes amid an assertion by Iranian officials that Washington has not changed its approach toward Tehran, and it continues to meddle in the country's internal affairs.