Iran announced its plan to launch a second military satellite into orbit after successfully launching their ‘Noor’ satellite into space via their ‘Qasad’ rocket.
The commander of the space unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Ali Jaafar Abadi, said on Thursday that the “Noor 2” satellite is ready and that their next step is to take it into orbit around the Earth.
He said that the Revolutionary Guards are also planning to launch satellites of a larger size than Noor 1.
Abadi continued that the “Noor 1 is our first military satellite and we will make larger satellites in the future that will settle into higher orbits.”
Regarding the Noor 1, which was launched yesterday, Abadi explained that it orbits 16 times a day around the globe, 430 km from the surface of the earth, stressing that the satellite sensors will start operating within ten days.
Despite Iran’s successful launch, they faced heavy condemnation from the United States, as officials from the Trump administration said it was a violation of the U.N. resolution 2231.
“Every nation has an obligation to go to the United Nations and evaluate whether this missile launch was consistent with that Security Council resolution,” U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters, referring to U.N. Security Council resolution 2231.
“I don’t think it remotely is, and I think Iran needs to be held accountable for what they have done,” he added.
Source » almasdarnews