Iran has launched the Dusti (Friendship) satellite this week following a failed attempt to put another satellite into orbit last month, the country's Deputy Defense Minister Ghasem Taghizadeh said.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th February, 2019) Iran has launched the Dusti (Friendship) satellite this week following a failed attempt to put another satellite into orbit last month, the country's Deputy Defense Minister Ghasem Taghizadeh said.
Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami said earlier in the week that Tehran planned to launch a domestically designed and produced satellite on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the victory in the Islamic Revolution, which Iran celebrates in early February during what is called the Ten Days of Dawn.
"With the help of Iranian scientists and God's help yesterday, the Safir launch vehicle launched the Dusti communications satellite ... and put it into orbit," Taghizadeh said on Wednesday, as quoted by the IRNA news agency.
He also announced his intention to launch another satellite, the Tolou (Sunrise), soon.
On January 15, Iran attempted to launch the Payam (Message) satellite but was unsuccessful because the third stage of the launch vehicle failed to gain enough momentum to reach orbit. The following day, Rouhani said that Iran would carry out a new satellite launch in the coming months as part of its space program, having resolved the "minor" problems.
Before the Payam launch, US State Secretary Mike Pompeo had expressed concern that the technology being used by Iran in its space launches was "virtually identical" to what was used in nuclear capable intercontinental ballistic missiles. The French Foreign Ministry also condemned the launch by saying that it went against 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.
