"TEHRAN (AFP) — Iran on Monday opened a new space centre that will launch its first home-built research satellite, saying the inauguration marked another step forward in its battle against Western dominance.
A rocket was fired into space at the remote desert centre in northern Iran to mark the event, the second time the Islamic republic has attempted to fire a rocket into space.
The space centre includes an underground control station and launch pad which will be used to fire an Iranian satellite named Omid (Hope) into space in May or June, officials said.
The opening of the space centre comes as Iran has been trumpeting its progress in its nuclear programme, which the West fears could be used to make atomic weapons.
The emphasis on Iran's development of its own domestic space technology is highly reminiscent of its insistence on developing its nuclear capabilities, which has led it into a four-year standoff with the West.
Ahmadinejad has made Iran's scientific development one of the main themes of his presidency, asserting the country has reached a peak of progress and no longer needs to depend on foreign states for help."
The opening of this space center will allow Iran to compete at another level with the United States and other western countries. The creation of this space program is a major step in the modernization of Iran as a nuclear power. Though western countries are fearful that the creation of this program will fuel Iran's nuclear capabilities, President Ahmadinejad has asserted that Iran "has reached a peak of progress and no longer needs to depend on foreign states for help. "
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