The second test launch of Zuljanah satellite carrier comes a year after first launch
Iran has tested its ‘Zuljanah’ satellite launcher for a second time for research purposes, state media said.
The launch was conducted ahead of the expected resumption of stalled talks over Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal with world powers. Qatar is most likely to host the upcoming talks between Iran and the US, mediated by the European Union, to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.
The test was conducted at an undisclosed location but the announcement on June 26 came after satellite photos showed preparations at Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Iran’s rural Semnan province.
Ahmad Hosseini, the spokesman for Iran’s Defence Ministry, said the 25.5 meter-long rocket, named Zuljanah, was capable of carrying a satellite of 220 kilograms that would gather data in low-Earth orbit and promote the country’s space industry.
Zuljanah was the name of the horse of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.
State-run media aired dramatic footage of the blastoff against the backdrop of heightened tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program.
The White House criticized the move saying the launch was “unhelpful and destabilizing” after a senior EU diplomat announced the resumption of stalled talks n the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).