Iran's Defense Ministry claims to have launched the Simorgh satellite carrier with three research payloads into space

On Thursday, January 29, Iran's Ministry of Defense claimed to have successfully launched the Simorgh satellite carrier into space, while some journalists close to the Islamic Republic have denied the claim.

Simultaneously with the eighth round of nuclear negotiations between Western countries and Iran to revive the JCPOA, Iranian media quoted Ahmad Hosseini, the space spokesman for the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Support, as saying that the "intended research objectives" had been achieved in this operation and that "three research payloads had been sent simultaneously to an altitude of 470 kilometers at a speed of 7,350 meters per second."

This is the Islamic Republic of Iran's fifth attempt to launch the Simorgh satellite-carrying rocket into space, but some journalists close to the Islamic Republic say that this launch was also unsuccessful.

Mohammad Shaltuki, a defense security correspondent for the IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency, wrote minutes after the news was published that the word "successful" was related to the launch process and that "the payloads were not injected into orbit."

He added: "At an altitude of 470 kilometers, a higher speed was required to inject the satellite into orbit, which, given the announced speed of 7,350 meters per second, naturally was not injected into orbit."

A reporter from Qom also wrote, stating that "the launch of the Simorgh satellite carrier was unfortunately not successful again and the payload did not gain enough speed to enter orbit," adding: "We must try very hard to achieve success."

The Associated Press reported on July 2nd that satellite images show that Iran attempted to launch a satellite in an unsuccessful attempt on June 5th and is attempting another launch.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also launched a satellite into space last year, and the launch was met with a reaction from the United States and the UN Security Council at the time.

Source: Voice of America