Iran successfully launched a satellite into space on Saturday using a rocket developed by the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, state-run media reported. This launch is the latest development in a space program that has raised concerns in the West about its potential to advance Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities.
Satellite Launch Details
The launch marked Iran’s second successful deployment of a satellite using this specific rocket. Independent verification confirmed that the satellite reached orbit. The footage released by Iranian media captured the rocket’s liftoff from a mobile launcher, with analysis indicating that the launch took place at the Guard’s facility near Shahroud, located approximately 350 kilometers (215 miles) east of Tehran.
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Regional Tensions and Missile Concerns
This launch occurs amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, particularly due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Iran has intensified its military actions, including an unprecedented missile and drone attack on Israel. Additionally, Iran’s enrichment of uranium to near weapons-grade levels continues to draw scrutiny from nonproliferation experts, raising alarms about its nuclear program.
Rocket and Satellite Specifications
The rocket used for this launch is identified as the Qaem-100, which the Revolutionary Guard also successfully employed in January. The Qaem-100, named “upright” in Farsi, is a solid-fuel, three-stage rocket that placed the Chamran-1 satellite, weighing 60 kilograms (132 pounds), into a 550-kilometer (340-mile) orbit. The rocket carried a Quranic verse: “That which is left by Allah is better for you, if you are believers.”
Technical and Diplomatic Reactions
Iran’s Aerospace Research Institute, in collaboration with a state-owned subsidiary of the Defense Ministry, developed the satellite to test hardware and software systems for orbital maneuver technology. Gen. Hossein Salami, head of the Guard, praised the launch, noting the achievement despite extensive international sanctions.
In response, the U.S. State Department reiterated concerns that Iran’s space launch capabilities could enhance its long-range missile technology. The department emphasized that the U.S. continues to use various nonproliferation measures, in coordination with allies, to counter Iran’s ballistic missile advancements.
Diplomatic Context
The U.S. has previously criticized Iran’s satellite launches as violations of a U.N. Security Council resolution, which prohibits activities related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons. Although U.N. sanctions on Iran’s ballistic missile program expired last October, tensions remain high.
Under former President Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s space program was somewhat restrained to avoid aggravating relations with the West. However, hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi, who took office in 2021, pushed forward with the program. Raisi’s recent death in a helicopter crash leaves uncertainty about the future direction of Iran’s space initiatives under the new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, who has yet to articulate his stance on the program.
Long-Term Implications
The U.S. intelligence community has indicated that Iran’s progress in satellite launch technology could potentially accelerate its development of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), which are capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Despite Iran’s claims that its space and nuclear programs are for civilian purposes, U.S. intelligence and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have reported that Iran had a military nuclear program until 2003.
The launch also coincides with the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death, which ignited widespread protests against Iran’s mandatory hijab law and broader issues within the country’s Shiite theocracy.
(Includes inputs from online sources)
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