Foreign Policy

Iran preparing another satellite launch attempt after recent failures, images indicate

By Zach Halaschak
Published January 28, 2020 5:17pm ET
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Iran preparing another satellite launch attempt after recent failures, images indicate
This Jan. 26, 2020, satellite image from Planet Labs Inc. that has been annotated by experts at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at Middlebury Institute of International Studies shows activity at the Imam Khomeini Space Center in Iran's Semnan province. Iranian officials and satellite images suggest the Islamic Republic is preparing to launch a satellite into space after three major failures last year, the latest for a program which the U.S. claims helps Tehran advance its ballistic missile program. | (Planet Labs Inc. Middlebury Institute of International Studies via AP)

Iran appears to be preparing an attempt to launch a satellite into space after a string of failures and condemnation that its space program is a front for the regime’s ballistic weapons testing.

Satellite imagery taken Sunday shows increased activity around a launchpad at Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Iran’s Semnan province. The photos show large numbers of vehicles and shipping containers, indicators for a future launch, according to the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

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Iran Middle East Mike Pompeo Nuclear Weapons