Iran announces successful launch of research rocket
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Iranian Defense Ministry spokesman Seyyed Ahmad Hosseini was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying that the mission's intended research objectives were met, without specifying when the rocket, dubbed as Simorgh (Phoenix), was launched or what devices it carried.
The space center that launched the rocket worked flawlessly, he said, adding the stages of the satellite carrier's launch proceeded as planned.
For the first time, three research devices were launched simultaneously to an altitude of 470 kilometers at a speed of 7,350 meters per second during the mission, Hosseini said.
The liquid fueled Simorgh rocket was first successfully launched at the Iran's Imam Khomeini Space Center in 2017.
The United States has long suspected that Iran's satellite launch vehicles are part of a larger attempt to develop ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear heads. Iran, which has repeatedly said that its nuclear program is peaceful, insists that its launch of rockets and satellites has no military purpose. ■