Iran says satellite ‘successfully’ launched without reaching orbit

The Simorgh rocket was used to propel the Zafar satellite but space unit of Iran said that it did not reach the intended orbit.

Iran “successfully” launched a satellite into space on Sunday but it fell short of reaching orbit, state television quoted a defence ministry spokesman as saying.

This Feb. 4, 2020 satellite image from Maxar Technologies, shows activity at the Imam Khomeini Space Center in Iran's Semnan province. An Iranian rocket failed to put a satellite into orbit on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020, state television reported, the latest setback for a program the U.S. claims helps Tehran advance its ballistic missile program. (AP)

“The Simorgh (rocket) successfully propelled the Zafar satellite into space but the carrier did not reach the required speed to put the satellite into the intended orbit,” Ahmad Hosseini of the ministry’s space unit was quoted as saying.