Iran on Monday carried out a suborbital test of its Ghased satellite launch vehicle, marking its first such move since last month’s ceasefire ended a 12-day conflict with Israel, which also included US strikes on nuclear-related sites in the Islamic Republic. The state-run IRNA news agency reported the test was aimed at “assessing some emerging new technologies in the country’s space industry,” adding that the results would be used to enhance Iran’s satellite and space capabilities.
Further details, including the launch site, were not disclosed. The Ghased rocket, which uses both solid and liquid fuel, was first unveiled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in 2020 and successfully placed a military satellite into orbit, according to The Associated Press. Iran has continued to develop its space program, which Western officials view as a cover for advancing ballistic missile technology.
Iran has several times tried to launch satellites into space. In September of 2024, the Islamic Republic claimed it successfully launched a satellite into space with a rocket built by the Revolutionary Guard. A year earlier, Iran launched another satellite using a rocket developed by the IRGC.In January of 2022, a top Iranian official claimed that Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard had launched a solid-fuel satellite carrier rocket into space and that the test was successful. A month earlier, Iran claimed it had successfully launched three research satellites into space. According to Ahmad Hosseini, a Defense Ministry spokesman, the rocket used was a Simorgh. (Ed note: Why a 'solid-fuel' rocket? Because it will travel a long distance, going into space, probably carrying an atomic bomb, and travel to the USA. Iran doesn't need such a rocket for the Middle East.) (Read More)
