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Iran's Satellite Program Is All about Missiles

(19fortyfive) Michael Rubin - American diplomats and their European counterparts seek a new round of talks to address Iran's growing ballistic missile program. Iranian authorities have repeatedly sought to launch satellites into orbit. On Feb. 2, 2021, Iran's Defense Ministry announced the successful development of a new satellite launch vehicle - the Zuljanah - which is capable of carrying a 200-kg. payload. The Iranian Defense Ministry noted that the Zuljanah "does not need a fixed base for launching and it can be launched from a mobile launch pad from anywhere in the country." Satellite launches occur from fixed locations. Militaries often mount ballistic missiles - especially nuclear ones - on mobile launchers to frustrate those who might seek to destroy them before launch. If the Iranian satellite launch program is as innocent as they say, why did they design the Zuljanah to launch from a mobile pad? The writer is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.
2021-02-11 00:00:00
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