Iranian Space Rocket Launch Failed, U.S. Says

Iran appears to have failed in its attempt Sunday to launch a rocket into orbit, but a defense expert remained concerned that Tehran could glean knowledge from the effort to advance possible missile research, Reuters reported (see GSN, Aug. 19).

"The attempted launch failed," a U.S. intelligence official said.  "The vehicle failed shortly after liftoff and in no way reached its intended position. … It could be characterized as a dramatic failure."

"The failed launch shows that the purported Iranian space program is in its nascent stages at best — they have a long way to go," the official added.

However, photos and assessments of the launch suggest the Safir rocket’s experimental second stage initiated before malfunctioning, making it likely that Iran received information it could use to improve future launch reliability, said Charles Vick, an analyst at GlobalSecurity.org.

While Iran maintains its rocket research is intended for placing civilian satellites in space, it could also be used in missiles able to carry nuclear weapons into China and Europe, Vick said.

"They're not there yet and that's to be expected but this is a step forward that has implications strategically," he said, adding that Iran could be in “reasonable striking distance” of meeting a goal to place an indigenous satellite in space by March 2009.

Iran appears in this week’s test to have corrected only one of seven flaws Vick observed in a February launch, he said (see GSN, Feb. 4; Randall Mikkelsen, Reuters, Aug. 19).

The Israeli Web site DEBKAfiles said Iran chose to fire the rocket amid warnings that an outside power could use the launch as pretext for an attack, United Press International reported.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia issued the warnings, which Tehran might have misunderstood as indicating that a strike was coming, according to sources (United Press International, Aug. 19).

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