Omid in orbit
Iran orbits Omid, its first wholly indigenous satellite. Western export sanctions on Tehran tighten the next morning, and the indigenous-launch club acquires its newest, least-welcome member.
A working catalogue entry, kept current. Each paragraph is drawn from the publicly documented record.
On 2 February 2009 Iran orbits Omid — "Hope" — its first wholly indigenous satellite, atop a Safir launcher developed from the Shahab missile family. The launch makes Iran the ninth nation to achieve indigenous orbit insertion.
Western export sanctions tighten the next morning, with explicit reference to the dual-use nature of any successful sovereign launcher. The launch confirms a pattern that recurs across the next decade: every successful indigenous orbital insertion by a sanctioned state triggers a fresh round of supply-chain restrictions on every other sanctioned or potentially-sanctioned state.
Each entry is publicly documented. Have a correction or a stronger source? Send it to the editorial team via the contact form.
