Asia Times – April 23, 2020
Iran launches its first spy in the sky
By ALISON TAHMIZIAN MEUSE
The United States on Thursday said it was tracking two new objects in space, the Noor-1 satellite and a Qased rocket body, apparent confirmation that Iran’s first military satellite launch was a success.
Iranian Major-General Mohammad Baqeri, chief of staff of the armed forces, hailed the Wednesday launch as a historic first.
“Launching the Noor-1 satellite is regarded as a blessed dawn for boosting defense power by entering space and promoting science and deterrence power in line with maintaining self-sufficiency,” he said in a message carried by state media.
The launch was carried out in three stages involving both liquid and solid fuel, according to Brigadier-General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC’s Aerospace Force.
IRGC Commander Hosein Salami for his part emphasized the significance of Iran building its own satellite, versus relying on larger powers for eyes in the sky as done by the neighboring United Arab Emirates.
“Naturally, only superpowers enjoy this capability, and others are just consumers of the technology,” Major-General Salami told Iran’s state news agency.
The US Space Force last month acquired a Counter Communications System, which “reversibly denies adversary satellite communications.”
The new system could potentially be deployed against the Iranian satellite.
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The Journal of America Team:
Editor in chief:
Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Senior Editor:
Prof. Arthur Scott
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Maryam Turab
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