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Iran unveils advancements in space program; West jittery
by Samia Sehgal - February 3, 2010 - comments
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he sees a future where Iran would dispatch astronauts into the space and said that the country was "two steps away from reaching a point of no return" in its space program
Tehran, Iran, February 3 -- Iran has fired a new satellite-rocket carrying several live animals and various other technologies into space, it said on Wednesday.
The country unveiled several advances in the space program, sparking a concern in the West regarding the possibilities of application of the advancements to its weapon’s program.
However, Tehran has long maintained that, like its nuclear program, its space program is also intended at a peaceful use.
The test rocket, Kavoshghar-3, has a research capsule carrying a mouse, several turtles and worms.
Seven new projects
In all, Iran reportedly opened seven projects to the world on Wednesday, including a satellite image processing center, a 3-D laboratory, and plans for the four-engine, liquid-fuel Simorgh satellite carrier, which is capable of transporting a 220-pound object up to 300 miles above Earth.
The three satellites include the following: solar-powered Tolou, which is capable of taking photographs and transmitting them back to Earth; the Mesbah-II for providing telecommunications to remote areas; and the Navid, an imaging satellite that has been designed by students.
Iran’s Space Day
The launch coincided with Iran's annual ‘Space Day,’ ahead of the 31st anniversary of Islamic Republic on Feb. 11. On the same date last year, Iran had launched it’s first domestically made and propelled satellite.
The launch of its first satellite, the Omid, saw a patriotic fervor in Iran, lighting up the 30th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, talking about Iran’s advancements, hailed the progress of the scientists working towards the progress of the nation.
“These miraculous satellite projects are, in fact, key to the connection between God and mankind,” Ahmadinejad said at a ceremony. “Today, Iranian scientists are capable of capturing the skies.”
Ahmadinejad said he sees a future where Iran would dispatch astronauts into the space and that the country was "two steps away from reaching a point of no return" in its space program.
The West is concerned
Though Western engineers have expressed skepticism over the success of Iran’s space program, politicians and other high-level officials of Western countries are concerned because of its potential to strengthen Iran's ballistic missile program.
"This announcement can only reinforce the concerns of the international community as Iran in parallel develops a nuclear program that has no identifiable civil aims," said a spokesman for the French foreign ministry. "We react to the Iranian announcement with great concern."