Issues

Report: Satellite images show Iran ‘readying for space launch’

Iran appears to be preparing for an unannounced space launch,  AP reported on Tuesday.

Satellite images show a rocket on a launch pad at the Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Semnan province in the north of the country, according to AP.

The images were provided by Maxar Technologies, a space technology company, and show “a rocket on a transporter, preparing to be lifted and put on a launch tower. A later image Tuesday afternoon showed the rocket apparently on the tower,” the report stated.

“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,” it added.

The Iranian state-run IRNA news agency said in May that the Islamic Republic would have seven domestically manufactured satellites ready for launch by March 23, while an Iranian Defense Ministry official suggested that Iran might soon test its new solid-fuel “Zuljanah” rocket, according to AP.

Read More: JNS