Iran has announced the successful launch of a satellite-carrying rocket, the latest achievement in its space programme, which has faced longstanding criticism from Western nations, reports AP
The launch, conducted at the Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Semnan province, utilised Iran’s Simorgh programme. This rocket, which had previously experienced several failures, successfully carried an "orbital propulsion system" and two research instruments into orbit at 400 kilometres (250 miles) above Earth. The payload weight of 300 kilograms (660 pounds) marked a record for Iran's successful space launches.
Independent verification of the launch’s success has not yet been reported, and the U.S. military has not provided a comment on the matter. The announcement coincides with increased regional tensions, particularly related to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and a fragile ceasefire in Lebanon.
The United States has argued that Iran’s satellite launches violate a U.N. Security Council resolution and has urged the country to cease activities involving ballistic missile technology that could be used for nuclear weapon delivery. Although U.N. sanctions on Iran’s ballistic missile programme ended in October 2023, U.S. intelligence has noted that the technology developed for space launches could potentially accelerate the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Under former President Hassan Rouhani, Iran had restrained its space programme to avoid heightening Western tensions, but former President Ebrahim Raisi, who took office in 2021, had pushed forward with these efforts. Raisi, a close associate of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, passed away in a helicopter crash in May.
Iran’s current President, Masoud Pezeshkian, who has expressed a desire to negotiate with the West over sanctions, has not yet outlined a clear strategy regarding the country’s space programme. This latest Simorgh launch is the first under Pezeshkian’s administration, following a successful launch by the Revolutionary Guard’s parallel programme in September.
Iran continues to assert that its space programme, like its nuclear activities, is purely for civilian use, despite U.S. and IAEA assessments suggesting that Iran had a military nuclear programme until 2003. The International Atomic Energy Agency has warned that Tehran now possesses enough enriched uranium for several nuclear weapons, should it decide to pursue them.