[Institute for National Security Studies-Tel Aviv University] Yiftah Shapir - On Feb. 3, Iran successfully launched its first entirely homemade satellite, the Omid ("hope"), from the space center in Semnan Province, southeast of Tehran, on the 30th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. The Omid is a small research satellite that will return to the atmosphere in June-July 2009. The two stage Safir 2 satellite launcher is liquid fuel-powered. Its successful launch demonstrates the capability to fire, manage, and separate the stages. It also shows an independent capability to construct, launch, and control satellites. The real concern is that satellite launch technology is similar to the technology required in order to launch ballistic missiles. A missile capable of carrying a load of several dozen kilograms is also capable of carrying several hundred kilograms for distances of thousands of kilometers. This means that Iran can threaten West European countries. Yet Iran has had a military missile program for a long time, and the range of its Shehab-3 missile has covered Israel for at least the past decade. From this standpoint, the inherent threat of the solid-fuel Sejil missile, whose first trial took place last November and that was probably designed for military purposes, is much more serious than the direct threat stemming from the Iranian space program. The writer is a Senior Research Fellow and Director, Military Balance Project at the INSS.
2009-02-13 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive