[FPSPACE] another article about the Iranian "dummy satellite"

[Charles Vick]

Entirely too many inaccuracies to be considered

 

-----Original Message-----
From: fpspace-bounces at friends-partners.org
[mailto:fpspace-bounces at friends-partners.org] On Behalf Of Peter Pesavento
Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 1:11 PM
To: fpspace at friends-partners.org
Subject: [FPSPACE] another article about the Iranian "dummy satellite"

 

I don't know if this Israeli website has accurate reportage, but I am
throwing this into the mix, as it is reportage (from the region) about the
Persian space launch.  I think that some of the text below is not accurate,
as in the US intelligence community wasn't aware of Iran's space ambitions.

 

http://www.debka.com/index1.php

 

You have to scroll down to see this article.

 


Iran now says "dummy satellite" into orbit. Israel concerned by missile
capability


DEBKAfile Special Report

August 17, 2008, 9:22 AM (GMT+02:00)

The head of Iran's aerospace program qualified Tehran's earlier announcement
that its first home-made communications was launched Sunday, Aug. 17. Reza
Taghizadeh said: "The Safir satellite carrier was launched today and for the
first time we successfully launched a dummy satellite into orbit."

Earlier, the Iranian news network IRNN showed footage of what it called a
domestically-manufactured communications satellite named Safir-e Omid being
launched in darkness, accompanied by patriotic hymns. 

DEBKAfile reports form one Iranian source that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
personally recited the countdown. 

Our military sources stress that confirmation of Iran's successful launch
would represent a strategic breakthrough, testifying to Tehran's long-range
missile delivery capability, possibly armed with nuclear warheads, to
distances of thousands of kilometers, against Israel and beyond; Europe and
parts of Asia would also be in range. The missile program has been advancing
in parallel to Iran's drive for a nuclear weapon. 

Iran would also have paved the way for spy satellites. If verified, Iran's
space achievement would offset one of Israel's prime military assets, its
superiority in space technology.

According to our sources, Tehran caught Israel, the United States and both
their undercover agencies by surprise. They knew Iran was working on a space
program but not how close the Iranians were to placing a satellite in orbit.

Our sources believe that the capsule was boosted by the Shehab-5 missile,
whose range the Iranians boast is up to 5,000 km and, according to some
military experts, reaches 7,000 km.

The Islamic Republic's reported feat comes at a bad time for Moscow
internationally. The Russians emphatically dismiss America's argument for
installing missile interceptors in Poland as a shield against Iranian
ballistic missile attack, claiming they were aimed at Russia. The Kremlin
accuses the Bush administration using this false claim as a pretext, because
Iran had not so far developed a ballistic threat. Now, that proof may have
been provided Sunday, Moscow will have to reconsider its position.

 

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