June 17, 2016
The Islamic Republic still is unable to extract a satellite built for Iran by an Italian company, Carlo Gavazzi Space. The Mesbah satellite was ordered in 1998 and reportedly completed in 2005. It was to be launched by the Russians in 2009, but the Russians said it never arrived before the assigned rocket was launched with a half-dozen other satellites. Then Iran said it was locked up in Italy as a result of European sanctions. Those sanctions were lifted in January, but the Iranian Space Agency acknowledged last week it is still unable to get its hands on Mesbah.