Posted: Sat, Feb 4, 2012, 7:36 AM ET (1236 GMT)
Iranian officials announced Friday that they launched a small imaging satellite, the third satellite launched by the nation. A Safir-1 rocket lifted off from an Iranian base near Semnan, Iran, at shortly after 7 pm EST Thursday (0000 GMT Friday) and placed the Navid-e Elm-o Sanat satellite into low Earth orbit. The satellite, weighing 50 kilograms, is primarily designed to take images of the Earth, but officials did not disclose the resolution or other attributes of the imagery it will take. The satellite is the third launched by Iran into orbit, after launches of smaller satellites in 2009 and 2011.

Related Links:

•  Spaceflight Now article
•  AFP article
•  AP article
•  SPACE.com article
•  Press TV (Iran) article