Iran Used Its First Satellite in Orbit to Track Venezuela-Bound Fuel Tankers - IRGC
Iran's first domestic military satellite, which was put into orbit in April, has been used to monitor the country's tankers that have recently carried fuel to Venezuela, the commander of the space division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)'s Aerospace Force told Tasnim in an interview
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th June, 2020) Iran's first domestic military satellite, which was put into orbit in April, has been used to monitor the country's tankers that have recently carried fuel to Venezuela, the commander of the space division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)'s Aerospace Force told Tasnim in an interview.
Starting May, five Iranian tankers loaded with fuel have docked in Venezuela. All ships were escorted by the Venezuelan navy amid the United States' reported plans to circumvent the deliveries, which violate its sanctions on both nations.
"In the Atlantic Ocean, where access (to ships) is normally more difficult, monitoring the position of the oil tankers and the situation in their surroundings was put on the agenda of the Noor satellite, and was accomplished," Brig.
Gen. Ali Jafarabadi said.
According to Jafarabadi, the satellite is functioning normally and has become a "real space laboratory" for Iran. Tehran, he noted, intends to let the satellite transmit signals all over the world for all countries once or twice a week. The current device Noor (Light), which was launched atop Qassed (Envoy) carrier in April, has a lifespan of 2.5 years.
Iran's modified Qassed-2 carrier, the general added, would enable the country to launch heavier satellites into higher orbits.