That's what this article says.

Iran's defence minister said the Islamic republic would launch its own satellite into space with an Iranian-made launch system, the official news agency IRNA reported.

"Within 18 months, Iran will launch its own satellite. Iran will be the first Islamic country to enter the stratosphere with its own satellite and its own, indigenous launch system," Defence Minister Ali Shamkhani was quoted as saying.

I don't know how much of this is due to bad translation, but it doesn't make any sense as written. Something that's only launched into the stratosphere is neither in space, nor a satellite.

It doesn't say what kind of satellite they plan to launch, for what purpose. I also wonder if they're planning on launching from Iran, and if so, how they'll handle the overflight issues. Looking at a globe, there's no ocean corridor east, so they'd have a hard time launching to low inclination without overflying Pakistan and India. If they want a high inclination (e.g., for a surveillance satellite) they'd have to do it from the south coast near the Pakistan border over the Arabian Sea, just missing Oman. If they were to skirt the Indian coastline, it looks like the lowest inclination they could get would be forty degrees or so, which would make for an expensive trip to GEO, considering the plane change.

Anyway, color me skeptical. Sounds more like bluster to me, especially considering the source.

Let's hope they're not planning any unmanned missions to Tel Aviv.

Quick thoughts:

1. The AP story hints at Russian cooperation, which effectively resolves overflight issues; they could launch into a polar orbit by going north over the Caspian Sea. This would overfly a bit of Kazakhstan, but that's the country where a major Russian launch facility is already.

2. Alternatively, a launch from the extreme southeast of the country could put a satellite in polar orbit by going south over the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean without overflying anyone at all. Looking at a map (142 kB *.jpg), the same site would allow orbital inclinations as low as 45° without overflying the Indian mainland.

3. The true significance of the announcement, of course, is the implication that they will have full-blown ICBMs capable of hitting any point on Earth by mid-2005. Nuclear blackmail of the US via threat of EMP then becomes an option -- even a 10-20 kT warhead could destroy all electronics in several states, leaving them without electric power, motorized vehicles, or telecommunications.

Perhaps they could launch from the Maldives or some other Indian Ocean site. It would work better if they got the cooperation of other partners (say Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, or India) and resolved certain issues with large naval powers (the US).

Might not their Muslim brethren in Indonesia be happy to play host?

Good point, Eric. That would be a better place.

Malaysia (an Islamic country) has already 2 satelites in space...will be launching a 3rd one soon. Hopefully in 2005...first astronout from an Islamic country.

main point: Iran is not/will not be the first Islamic country to launch a satelite. Oh yes, Malaysia is in South East Asia...up north of Indonesia...and Malaysia has the 17th largest economy in the world. Very good for a country with only 23 million people (Indonesia = 200+ million people).

So Eric...Malaysia is more prepared to help Iran than Indonesia...but only if Iran asks for help...Malaysia will not offer Iran help...waste of time and money.