US says Iran satellite launch a failure

Updated 16.31 Tue Aug 19 2008

Keywords: United States, Iran, dummy satellite

Iran's attempt to launch a dummy satellite into orbit was a "dramatic failure" that fell far short of the country's assertions of success, a US official has said.

The official said: "The vehicle failed shortly after lift-off and in no way reached its intended position.

"The failed launch shows that the purported Iranian space program is in its nascent stages at best - they have a long way to go" - US official

"It could be characterised as a dramatic failure."

Iran, embroiled in a stand-off with the West over its nuclear ambitions, said on Sunday it had put a dummy satellite into orbit on a home-grown rocket for the first time, using a technology that could also be used for launching weapons.

Iranian television showed the rocket on its launch pad, but did not show the actual lift-off.

After the launch, the head of the Iranian Aerospace Organisation, Reza Taghizadeh, said: "The Safir (Ambassador) satellite carrier was launched and for the first time we successfully launched a dummy satellite into orbit."

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was also present at Iran's space centre and read out the launch countdown.

The US official said: "The failed launch shows that the purported Iranian space programme is in its nascent stages at best - they have a long way to go."

Iran says it has no nuclear-weapons plans and that it seeks nuclear technology to generate electricity.