Russia launches Iranian satellite into orbit from southern Kazakhstan

Iran says the satellite is designed for scientific research including radiation and environmental monitoring for agricultural purposes

Russia launched an Iranian satellite into orbit on Tuesday from southern Kazakhstan, just three weeks after President Vladimir Putin and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pledged to work together against the West.

The remote Khayyam sensing satellite, named after the 11th Century Persian poet and philosopher Omar Khayyam, was launched by a Russian Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and entered orbit successfully, Russia’s space agency said. Iran’s space agency has received the first telemetry data sent from the satellite, the official IRNA news agency said. Tehran has rejected claims the satellite could be used by Moscow to boost