The Iranians are highly motivated, but that does not mean they are telling the truth, said Knesset Member Prof. Isaac Ben-Israel (Kadima),
former head of Israel's
Space Agency, after learning of Tehran's successful satellite launch Tuesday.
According to Iran's state television, the Islamic Republic launched its first home-made satellite into orbit on Tuesday. The Omid (Hope) satellite was sent into space as Iran marks
the 30th anniversary
of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and is said to be a research and telecommunications satellite.
| Up,Up and Away |
|
| Report: Iran launches 1st home-made satellite / Reuters |
|
Omid (Hope) satellite designed for research and telecommunications, state television says. Long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit can also be used for launching weapons |
| Full story |
|
|
|
The satellite itself, he explained, is of an outdated class and is insignificant, intelligence-wise: "It really is quite primitive. It's not so much a satellite as a box that can collect data, something students at the Technion launched over 10 years ago. The thing to worry about is the launching capabilities. The use of a ballistic missile is the real threat."
Ben-Israel strongly believes that Iran's entire satellite program is nothing more than a disguise for its real goal – developing a ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
"It is a way of 'laundering' the real project, since testing such ballistic missiles is forbidden under several international conventions," he said.
Should the launch prove successful, it is the Iranians' newfound technological capability that Israel should
be concerned about, he added.
"Prestige and Middle East standing aside, what it means is that the Iranians are getting the technological capability that may enable them, in the future, to arm a ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead."
RSS
