run television reported. The report said the rocket, which is capable of carrying a satellite, was the first launched by Iran «into space.» «The first Iranian rocket Explorer-1 was fired into space,» state-run television reported Monday. Space is considered to begin at 100 kilometers (60 miles) above the earth. Ham radio satellites _ the lowest flying satellites _ orbit between 160-500 kilometers (100-300 miles), while communication, weather and global-positioning satellites fly between 400-20,000 kilometers (250-12,000 miles) up. Monday's report did not specify the altitude reached by the research rocket, but state TV showed live images of the launch from the space center, with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad issuing the launch order. «With the launch, Iran has joined the world's top 11 countries possessing space technology to build satellites and launch rockets into space,» the television said. Before the launch, Ahmadinejad opened Iran's first major space center, which includes an underground control station and space launch pad, according to state TV. «We need to have an active and influential presence in space,» Ahmadinejad said at the inauguration ceremony. Ahmadinejad also unveiled the country's first domestically built satellite, called Omid, or Hope. --MORE
