“was not involved in the catastrophic accident.” There's been no evidence offered, however, to show foul play in any of the failures, and space launches remain challenging even for the world's most successful programs. The successive failures raised suspicion of outside interference in Iran's program, something Trump himself hinted at by tweeting at the time that the U.S. Satellite images from February suggested a failed Zuljanah launch earlier this year, though Iran did not acknowledge it. He later tweeted what appeared to be a classified surveillance image of the launch failure. The launch pad used in Tuesday's preparations remains scarred from an explosion in August 2019 that even drew the attention of then-President Donald Trump. A fire at the Imam Khomeini Spaceport in February 2019 also killed three researchers, authorities said at the time. There have been five failed launches in a row for the Simorgh program, a type of satellite-carrying rocket. The program has seen recent troubles, however. Over the past decade, Iran has sent several short-lived satellites into orbit and in 2013 launched a monkey into space. “Iranian aggression, to include the demonstrated threat posed by its various missile programs, continues to be a top concern for our forces in the region,” Lodewick said. Rob Lodewick, said the American military “will continue to closely monitor Iran's pursuit of viable space launch technology and how it may relate to advancements in its overall ballistic missile program.” It is Iran that has consistently chosen to take provocative actions,” Price said.Ī Pentagon spokesman, U.S. “Iran has consistently chosen to escalate tensions. NASA fire satellites, which detect flashes of light from space, did not immediately see any activity over the site late Tuesday night.Īsked about the preparations, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters in Washington that the U.S. It wasn't clear when the launch would take place, though erecting a rocket typically means a launch is imminent. A Defense Ministry official also recently suggested Iran soon could test its new solid-fueled, satellite-carrying rocket called the Zuljanah. However, its state-run IRNA news agency in May said that Iran likely would have seven homemade satellites ready for launch by the end of the Persian calendar year in March 2023. Iran did not acknowledge a forthcoming launch at the spaceport and its mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A later image Tuesday afternoon showed the rocket apparently on the tower. One set of images showed a rocket on a transporter, preparing to be lifted and put on a launch tower. The images from Maxar Technologies showed a launch pad at Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Iran's rural Semnan province, the site of frequent recent failed attempts to put a satellite into orbit. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Iran appeared to be readying for a space launch Tuesday as satellite images showed a rocket on a rural desert launch pad, just as tensions remain high over Tehran's nuclear program.
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