Iran satellite fails to reach orbit

Al-Anbat -The Iranian rocket carrying the Payam (massage) satellite failed to reach the "necessary speed" required to go into orbit in the third stage of its launch, an Iranian official Tuesday announced.

According to the Minister of Telecommunications, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, the rocket had successfully passed its first and second stages before developing problems in the third one.

Payam and its carrier had gone through successful testing of its first and second stages, the minister explained, adding that in the actual launch, the satellite failed to reach the required speed on detachment from the rocket in the third stage.

Both Payam and its carrier were designed and produced at Tehran's Amirkabir University of Technology.

Jahromi tweeted that a new Iranian satellite will be launched into the space later.