Tehran: Iran said it has successfully launched its first rocket into space, state television said on Sunday, without disclosing its range.
Iran's Science and Technology and Defence ministries built the craft, the state-run television quoted Dr Mohsen Bahrami, the head of Iran's Space Research Centre, as saying.
Bahrami said, "The rocket was carrying material intended for research created by the ministries of science and defence."
Iran in the past has announced that it wanted to be able to send its own satellites, including commercial ones, into orbit. But it has revealed little information about the project.
In 2005, Iran launched its first such satellite, in a joint project with Russia.
Iran hopes to launch four more satellites by 2010, the government has said, to increase the number of land and mobile telephone lines to 80 million from 22 million.
It also hopes to expand its satellite capabilities to let Internet users to rise to 35 million from 5.5 million in the next five years.
