Iran launches military satellite
The new colonial movement: It appears that Iran has successfully launched a small military satellite into orbit, Noor-2, though exactly when remains unclear.
IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] said the Noor-2 satellite reached a low orbit of 500km (310 miles) above the Earth’s surface on the Ghased satellite carrier, state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported. It described the Ghased as a three-phase, mixed-fuel satellite carrier.
IRGC did not immediately release photos or video of the launch. Putting the second satellite in space would be a major advance for Iran’s military.
The Ghased or Qased rocket uses a mobile launcher design, and was used for Iran’s previous successfully launch in 2020.
In confirming the launch, U.S. Space Command officials called the satellite nothing more than “a tumbling webcam in space,” suggesting it is not very sophisticated. At the same time, the first stage of Qased is essentially a ballistic missile. To be able to use this mobile launcher to get anything into orbit means that same mobile launcher, without the upper stage, could deliver missiles anywhere on Earth, and do so in a manner that is undetectable prior to launch.
This launch, the first for Iran in 2022, does not change the 2022 launch race leader board:
9 SpaceX
5 China
2 Russia
2 ULA
The U.S. leads China 14 to 5 in the national rankings.
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The new colonial movement: It appears that Iran has successfully launched a small military satellite into orbit, Noor-2, though exactly when remains unclear.
IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] said the Noor-2 satellite reached a low orbit of 500km (310 miles) above the Earth’s surface on the Ghased satellite carrier, state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported. It described the Ghased as a three-phase, mixed-fuel satellite carrier.
IRGC did not immediately release photos or video of the launch. Putting the second satellite in space would be a major advance for Iran’s military.
The Ghased or Qased rocket uses a mobile launcher design, and was used for Iran’s previous successfully launch in 2020.
In confirming the launch, U.S. Space Command officials called the satellite nothing more than “a tumbling webcam in space,” suggesting it is not very sophisticated. At the same time, the first stage of Qased is essentially a ballistic missile. To be able to use this mobile launcher to get anything into orbit means that same mobile launcher, without the upper stage, could deliver missiles anywhere on Earth, and do so in a manner that is undetectable prior to launch.
This launch, the first for Iran in 2022, does not change the 2022 launch race leader board:
9 SpaceX
5 China
2 Russia
2 ULA
The U.S. leads China 14 to 5 in the national rankings.
Readers!
My annual February birthday fund-raising drive for Behind the Black is now over. Thank you to everyone who donated or subscribed. While not a record-setter, the donations were more than sufficient and slightly above average.
As I have said many times before, I can’t express what it means to me to get such support, especially as no one is required to pay anything to read my work. Thank you all again!
For those readers who like my work here at Behind the Black and haven't contributed so far, please consider donating or subscribing. My analysis of space, politics, and culture, taken from the perspective of an historian, is almost always on the money and ahead of the game. For example, in 2020 I correctly predicted that the COVID panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Every one of those 2020 conclusions has turned out right.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
Time for an ASAT test
One correction to headline: Lead Russian Negotiator Caught on Tape Bragging About How Iran, Russia and China “AND BIDEN / THE SWAMP” Teamed Up to Screw US and Deliver Huge Wins for Iranian Nuclear Program
“Lead Russian Negotiator Caught on Tape Bragging About How Iran, Russia and China Teamed Up to Screw US and Deliver Huge Wins for Iranian Nuclear Program”
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/03/shock-video-lead-russian-negotiator-caught-tape-bragging-iran-russia-china-teamed-screw-us-deliver-huge-wins-iranian-nuclear-program/