Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2nd L) orders in Tehran on February 4, 2008 the firing of a large rocket strongly resembling Iran's missile Shahab-3 on a mobile launcher from Iran's first space centre in a desert area in the northern Semnan province as Iranian defence minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar (2nd R) holds the microphone for him and chief of staff of Armed forces, Hassan Firouzabadi (L), looks on. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad inaugurated today Iran's first space centre from where the Islamic republic intends to launch research satellites into space for the first time, state media reported. The media said a "research rocket" aimed at probing the appropriate orbit for satellites was fired into space to mark the inauguration of the space centre. AFP PHOTO/FARS NEWS/STR (Photo credit should read -/AFP via Getty Images)