Iran Takes the Leap into Space (IranVNC.com)

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced on August 24th that Iran will send a telecommunications satellite into space "very soon," using missile technology that the West fears may be used to launch nuclear weapons.



Ahmadinejad's announcement comes one week after Iran said it had tested a rocket capable of carrying a satellite into space, a launch dubbed a "dramatic failure" by an unnamed US defense official.

"Today the Iranian nation has the technology to build various satellites and will launch its first telecommunications satellite ... into space." [GFX: Iran's state-run television quoted Ahmadinejad as saying in Arak}



Ahmadinejad said that the missile technology would be used "very soon" to carry the new satellite into space. The rocket reportedly would "move at a speed of 8,000 m/sec and has very complex technical equipment."



The ballistic missile technology that is used to place satellites into orbit can also be used for carrying weapons. 
 During military exercises last month, Iran fired ballistic missiles that it claimed are capable of reaching Israel.

Many Western experts, generally skeptical of Iran's claim of technological achievements, questioned whether the missiles used in the war games could actually reach Israel.

Western powers accuse Iran of using their civilian nuclear program as a cover to develop a nuclear weapon, which they fear can be launched with the missile technology Tehran is developing. Iran however, insists its program is purely peaceful.



As a result of Tehran's refusal to halt its sensitive nuclear work, Iran has been hit with three rounds of United Nations sanctions. But Ahmadinejad said on August 23rd, that the country made the technological advancements in spite of the sanctions.



"You have sanctioned this nation but this nation has built the most advanced missile launching equipment and complex and advanced communication instrument for the control and guidance of missiles and satellites and has this [technology]." [GFX: Ahmadinejad said.]


On Thursday, Reza Taqipour, head of Iran's Aerospace Industries Organization, said on Agust 21stthat Iran is planning on sending its first astronaut into space within the next ten years.


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