Posted: Tue, Feb 3, 2015, 6:55 AM ET (1155 GMT)
In its first launch in 2012, an Iranian Safir rocket placed a small remote sensing satellite into orbit that will perform remote imaging, the country's government announced Monday. The Safir rocket lifted off from an Iranian military base at approximately 3:50 am EST (0850 GMT) and placed the Fajr, or Dawn, spacecraft into a low Earth orbit. The spacecraft, reported by Iranian media to weigh 52 kilograms, will provide imagery of the Earth. Fajr is the fourth satellite launched by Iran since 2009.

Related Links:

•  Fars News Agency article
•  Press TV article
•  IRNA article
•  Spaceflight Now article
•  AP article