The Tehran government confirmed Wednesday that it plans to launch a satellite-carrying rocket but did not reveal when the launch would take place.
Iran said it plans two tests for a new solid-fueled rocket, the satellite-carrying Zuljanah, but also did not discuss a timeframe for the tests.
Zuljanah is the name of the horse of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the founder of Islam, Prophet Muhammad.
Iranian Defense Ministry spokesperson Ahmad Hosseini was quoted by the state-run IRNA news agency as saying that each of the Zuljanah’s three stages are to be evaluated during the tests, Associated Press reported.
International satellite images snapped Tuesday by Maxar Technologies showed the preparations for the launch at the desert-based Imam Khomeini Spaceport launchpad in Semnan province.
An image taken Tuesday afternoon showed the rocket already placed on the launch tower, indicating a likely imminent launch, but no action had been taken by Wednesday morning, according to NASA.
New #satelliteimagery from June 14, 2022 reveal probable #launch activities in progress at the Imam Khomeini Space Center southeast of #Semnan, #Iran. At the launch pad, a rocket is on a transporter preparing to be erected by a heavy-lift crane & stacked at the launch tower. pic.twitter.com/v7brdQUNkF
— Maxar Technologies (@Maxar) June 14, 2022
Iranian scientists have used the same launch pad for previous rocket launches.
US Pentagon spokesperson Army Major Rob Lodewick told reporters the 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.
“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,” he said.
Iranian satellite launches violate a United Nations Security Council resolution banning activity involving ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.
One of the top concerns is the possibility that Iran will launch an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) towards Israel and/or the United States, carrying a nuclear warhead.
The months-long talks in Vienna to revive the moribund 2015 JCPOA nuclear deal between Iran and world powers stalled this past March.
