Iran Launches Military Satellite – Burning Issues – Free PDF Download

DETAILS

•  Iran has claimed it has put its first military satellite into orbit, further raising tensions with the US at a time the two countries are already facing off in the Persian Gulf.
• Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said the satellite “Noor” (Light) was in a 425km (264 miles) high orbit, after a successful launch. Iran launched its first civilian satellite in 2009.

DETAILS

•  The small military craft, named Noor, flew into orbit on top of a multi-stage Qased rocket, according to Iranian state media. Iranian officials did not release any advance notice of the launch, which occurred from the Shahroud missile range in the northeastern part of the country.

ELITE GROUP

• Only twelve, countries from the list below (USSR, USA, France, Japan, China, UK, India, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Iran and North Korea) and one regional organization (the European Space Agency, ESA) have independently launched satellites on their own indigenously developed launch vehicles.

POINT TO NOTE

•  Several other countries, including Brazil, Argentina, Pakistan, Romania, Taiwan, Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia, Turkey and Switzerland are at various stages of development of their own small-scale launcher capabilities.

IRAN’S ROAR

• After its first successful satellite launch(in 2009), Iran offered help to any Muslim country who wanted to establish its own space program
• Sadly, Iran couldn’t fulfil this offer of help as Iran was put under sanctions by the U.S and UN

U.S ON THE OFFENSIVE

• The U.S. military says the same long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit could also allow Tehran to launch longer-range weapons A 2015 U.N. resolution “called upon” Iran to refrain for up to eight years from work on ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons following an agreement with six world powers to limit its nuclear program.

MILITARY SATELLITE RACE

•  Iran’s launch will trigger a military satellite launch race in the region with Saudi Arabia soon launching its own military satellites to counter Iran
• This will lead to more instability in the region during a time the world is struggling with a pandemic.

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