Iran on Wednesday unveiled three new satellites and a satellite carrier, a year after it launched its first domestic research satellite into orbit. The three satellites — Tolou, Mesbah 2 and Navid — are telecommunication satellites and have been designed and produced by Iranian experts.
According to PressTV, 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 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian Aerospace Organization (IAO) also unveiled Iran's first domestic satellite carrier engine, called Simorgh, which weighs 87 tons. It is equipped to carry a 220-pound satellite 310 miles into orbit.
