[Al Arabiya Latest] Iran plans to send a bigger satellite into space on a rocket with a range of up to 1,500 km (930 miles), President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday, in comments that may spark further Western concern.
" A rocket with a range of 700-1,500 km is scheduled to take a bigger satellite (than Omid) into space "
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad |
Iran launched a domestically made satellite, called Omid, into orbit for the first time in February; a step that worried Western powers which fear the republic is seeking to build a nuclear bomb and missile delivery systems.
Iran, the world's fourth-largest oil producer, says its nuclear program is to generate electricity, and that the Feb. 3 launch of the Omid satellite was for peaceful telecommunications and research purposes.
The long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit could also be used to launch warheads, although Iran says it has no plans to do so.
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