Iran launched an observation satellite into orbit above Earth as the Islamic Republic was marking the 33rd anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution

Iran on Friday launched an observation satellite into orbit above Earth as the Islamic Republic was marking the 33rd anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution, the official IRNA news agency reported.

“The Navid satellite was launched successfully.... It will be placed into an orbit (at an altitude) between 250 and 370 kilometers,” IRNA quoted the head of Iran's Space Organisation, Hamid Fazeli, as saying.
  
The 50-kilogram (110-pound) satellite is meant to stay in orbit for 18 months, sending back images to Iran as it completes a revolution of Earth every 90 minutes.

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad led the launch ceremony. “It's the beginning of an immense labor... which holds the promise of friendship for all mankind,” Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying.
  
Iran’s Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said the Navid satellite would beam its images to several ground stations across the country, according to media. "The telemetric and command stations give and receive data and control the satellite," Vahidi said. Tehran also plans to launch the country's first manned mission into space by 2019.

Head of Iran's Space Agency (ISA) said the Islamic Republic plans to establish a national satellite launch base with the cooperation of the country's Defense Ministry. President Ahmadinejad has ordered the cabinet to review and ratify the plan and the required budget has been allocated to this end, Hamid Fazeli said on Thursday.

Iran is one of the 24 founding members of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of the Outer Space, which was established in 1959.