Iran's Payam Satellite Fell Into Indian Ocean After Failure To Reach Orbit - University

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th January, 2019) The remains of Iran's recently launched Payam satellite plummeted into the Indian Ocean after the vehicle failed to reach the orbit, Ahmad Motamedi, the chancellor of Amirkabir University, which designed and developed the satellite, told the local Mehr news agency.

"According to GPS data active until the last minute, Payam fell into Indian Ocean, after failure to be located into the orbit," Motamedi said.

The researcher described the technical performance of the satellite as "favorable," adding that Payam was sending out signals for about six minutes before the connection with it was lost.

Motamedi mentioned the failure of the launcher to calculate the initial speed of the satellite and fuel-related problems among the reasons that led to the satellite's failure to reach the orbit.

"Given the order by Minister of Information and Communications Technology Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi to design and build the next satellite, named 'Payam 2', our team of scientists will prepare it for launch in less than a year, thanks to the technical knowledge we have now acquired," Motamedi pointed out.

Iranian media reported about the successful launch of the Payam satellite on Tuesday. However, Jahromi subsequently said that the satellite had passed its first and second stages but had failed to reach the necessary speed for the third stage in order to rise to the planned altitude of 500 kilometers (311 miles).

Tehran's satellite launch has drawn criticism from a number of states, particularly, France and the United States, which claimed that the move was made in non-compliance with Iran's international obligations, namely those under the Iran nuclear deal. These allegations were, however, vehemently denied by Tehran.