Iran may be able to eliminate the problems that prevented the Payam satellite from being successfully launched into orbit in a matter of months, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th January, 2019) Iran may be able to eliminate the problems that prevented the Payam satellite from being successfully launched into orbit in a matter of months, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday.On Tuesday, Iran attempted to launch the satellite with a domestically made rocket. However, it failed to reach orbit because the launch vehicle did not pick up enough speed at the final stage of the flight.
"We achieved good results during the launch, though, of course, there were some partial failures. However, overall this is a positive and a very important achievement. We have achieved good results both in launches and satellite production. This means that Iran has now embarked on this path, and the existing minor problems will be eliminated within a few months," the president said in a statement on the official website.
Earlier in January, US State Secretary Mike Pompeo expressed concern ahead of the satellite's launch that the technology being used by Iran in space launches was "virtually identical" to that used in nuclear capable intercontinental ballistic missiles. The French Foreign Ministry also condemned the launch by saying that it contradicted UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which prescribes that Iran should refrain from any activity related to nuclear capable ballistic missiles.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has dismissed the claims saying that the country's space launches and missile tests did not violate the UN resolution.
