IRAN’S first satellite launch aboard a home-grown rocket has left observers puzzled over just how it was done. Was the satellite launched by a feeble rocket pushed to its limits, or has Iran’s secretive space programme managed to develop a far more powerful launch vehicle without anyone noticing? The answer will affect how soon the country might achieve its stated goal of sending humans into space.
Iran launched its satellite – called Omid, or “Hope” – on 2 February. According to Iranian media it is a 40-centimetre cube weighing 25 kilograms, and is equipped with radio transmitters.
Foreign tracking stations and…
