Iran Satellite Omid

- Launched February 2, 2009FOX News: Iran Puts First Homemade Satellite in Orbit (February 3, 2009)
- February 3 is the 30th anniversary of the Islamic revolutionIndependent: Iranian satellite launch prompts fresh concern (February 4, 2009)
- Reportedly a telecommunications satelliteFOX News: Iran Puts First Homemade Satellite in Orbit (February 3, 2009)
- Will orbit between 155 and 250 miles above earthFOX News: Iran Puts First Homemade Satellite in Orbit (February 3, 2009)
- Will orbit earth 15 times each dayFOX News: Iran Puts First Homemade Satellite in Orbit (February 3, 2009)
- The satellite has two frequency bands and eight antennasFOX News: Iran Puts First Homemade Satellite in Orbit (February 3, 2009)
- Will orbit for one to three months and then return to earthIran Press TV: Iran puts sat into orbit for 1st time (February 3, 2009)
- Omid is the third Iranian-made satellite in space, and the first sent into space by IranIran Press TV: Iran puts sat into orbit for 1st time (February 3, 2009)
- Was placed into orbit by a Safir-2 rocketFOX News: Iran Puts First Homemade Satellite in Orbit (February 3, 2009)

On February 3, 2009, Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced that his country had successfully placed a satellite in orbit. The satellite, called Omid or Hope in Farsi, is said to be for telecommunication and research.FOX News: Iran Puts First Homemade Satellite in Orbit (February 3, 2009) Independent: Iranian satellite launch prompts fresh concern (February 4, 2009)
Omid and Tensions

The news came as a joint meeting of officials from China, Russia, Great Britain, France, Germany, and the U.S. will meet February 4, 2009, in Frankfurt to discuss Iran's nuclear program. In 2008, the U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions to pressure Iran into suspending its uranium enrichment program.FOX News: Iran Puts First Homemade Satellite in Orbit (February 3, 2009) Independent: Iranian satellite launch prompts fresh concern (February 4, 2009)
British foreign secretary David Miliband, expressed concern that the launch could increase tension between Iran and the west. One concern is that the Safir-2, used to launch the satellite into orbit, is an adaptation of a long-range missile that could carry a nuclear weapon.FOX News: Iran Puts First Homemade Satellite in Orbit (February 3, 2009) Independent: Iranian satellite launch prompts fresh concern (February 4, 2009)
Quotes

"Dear Iranians, your children have put the first indigenous satellite into orbit. With this launch the Islamic Republic of Iran has officially achieved a presence in space."—Mahmoud AhmadinejadInvestor's Business Daily: Iran's Sputnik? (February 3, 2009)
"We can't but link this to the very serious concerns about the development of military nuclear capacity."—French foreign minister Eric ChevallierInvestor's Business Daily: Iran's Sputnik? (February 3, 2009)