Maxar Images: Iran Preparing to Launch Satellite Rocket
As tensions over the Islamic Republic's nuclear program continue, Iran appears to be preparing to launch a satellite-carrying rocket. Photos from Maxar Technology Company's "Imam Khomeini Base" in Semnan show a rocket on a launch pad.
Maxar has released photos showing Iran preparing to launch a satellite-carrying rocket. The images are from the Imam Khomeini Terminal in Semnan Province, and one shows a rocket on a special platform, a situation that suggests its imminent launch.
There have been several other failed attempts to place a satellite into orbit from this terminal.
The Associated Press reports that NASA satellites have not recorded or observed any activity in the sky over this terminal as of Tuesday evening, June 14.
The Islamic Republic's representative to the United Nations did not respond to an Associated Press question on this matter, and Tehran officials have not yet confirmed the launch of the satellite-carrying missile.
Earlier, in May, the state-run IRNA news agency quoted Hassan Salarieh, head of the Iranian Space Organization, as saying that Tehran would likely have seven satellites ready for launch by the end of the solar year.
In recent years, Tehran has launched several satellites into orbit, but its space program has largely been unsuccessful. The Simorgh project has had five failed launches so far, and in 2019, a fire at the Semnan base killed three researchers.
Two days before the images of the missile ready to be launched at the Semnan base were broadcast, two members of the IRGC Aerospace Force died in what was called “martyrdom in the line of duty.” Ali Kamani, a member of the Aerospace Force in Khomein, and Mohammad Abdous, a member of the unit in Semnan, were identified.
This is the latest case of suspicious deaths and assassinations of officials, members of the Quds Force, and nuclear scientists in Iran in recent months.
In February 2017, on the occasion of the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, the Revolutionary Guard Corps unveiled the “Khybershakan” ballistic missile with a range of 1,450 kilometers and solid fuel. A month later, the IRGC Aerospace Force announced the successful launch of the Noor 2 satellite and its placement in an orbit of 500 kilometers from Earth. The mission of the satellite, which was said to orbit the Earth every 90 minutes, was described as “surveillance and reconnaissance.”
The Islamic Republic's long-range missile program has always been a contentious issue with Western countries that are parties to the 2015 nuclear deal. The United States and many of Washington's European and regional allies accuse Iran of seeking to develop its missile program under the guise of space programs.
Source: DW
