Launch Fails To Put Satellite Into Orbit

The Iranian government says an attempted satellite launch has failed, reports the semi-official Mehr News Agency. 

The rocket carrying the 200-pound (90-kg) Payam satellite failed to reach the necessary speed to reach orbit, Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi told state television on Tuesday, as cited by the Tehran Times.

The first two stages of the rocket performed as expected before problems were experienced with the third, Jahromi said.

Iranian officials said the satellite was planned to orbit at 320 miles (500 km) to take high-resolution photos for non-military purposes. It also had a telecommunications role. 

Jahromi said that Iran still plans to move forward with the launch of a second satellite. The Dousti is a 115-pound (52-kg) remote-sensing satellite. 

The U.S. has maintained that the launches are thinly-veiled tests for Iran's ballistic missile program in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions.