Iran prepares ‘satellite launch’. Will US go ballistic?
- US fears long-range ballistic technology to put satellites into orbit could launch nukes
- Iran had at least three major failures with satellite programme last year
Iranian officials and satellite images suggest the Islamic Republic is preparing to a launch a satellite into space after three major failures last year, the latest for a programme which the US claims helps Tehran advance its ballistic missile programme.
Satellite images from San Francisco-based Planet Labs Inc. that have been annotated by experts at Middlebury Institute of International Studies show work at a launch pad at the Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Iran’s Semnan province.
The photos also show more cars and activity at a facility at the spaceport, some 230km (145 miles) southeast of Iran’s capital, Tehran. Such activity in the past has signalled a launch looms.
The increased activity corresponds to an uptick in reports in state and semi-official media in Iran about launches coming amid celebrations marking the days before the nation celebrates the 41st anniversary of its 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iran routinely unveils technological achievements for its armed forces, its space programme and its nuclear efforts during this time.
Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, Iran’s information and communications technology minister and a possible contender in the country’s 2021 presidential election, also increasingly has been tweeting about the country’s satellite programme.