Tasnim � A new Iranian satellite is going to be sent into the orbit at an altitude of above 500 km within the next few weeks, the Minister of Information and Communications Technology announced.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a weekly cabinet session on Wednesday, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi said the new homegrown satellite, dubbed Zafar (victory), will be launched before February 11 -the anniversary of victory of the Islamic Revolution.

The minister said two versions of Zafar have been manufactured, so that if the first launch fails, the second satellite will be immediately prepared as a replacement.

�The satellite will be launched before February 11, and information about it will be clearly publicized,� he said.

The new satellite is going to travel to space with the Iranian �Simorgh� satellite carrier, Azari Jahromi added.

Zafar, which weighs 113 kilograms, is going to be sent into an orbit at the altitudes of above 500 km, he noted, adding that it will be utilized for telecommunication, taking images, and picking up space signals.

The Iranian satellite will reportedly have a lifespan of one year and six months, and will capture images and transmit them to stations on earth.