Iran says 'space rocket' was for research purposes

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Iranian rocket that went into space was actually of suborbital range and was launched for educational and research purposes, an Iranian space official has been reported as saying. The deputy head of Iran's Space Research Center, Ali Akbar Golrou, was quoted on state television's Web site as saying the rocket soars no higher than 150 kilometers (93 miles) into the atmosphere. "It does not go into orbit and it comes back to the earth by parachute," Golrou said Sunday, when Iran launched the rocket.