PARS
1 SATELLITE – SCI & TECH
News:
Iran's Pars 1 satellite
enters space after Russian launch
What's
in the news?
●
Iran
successfully put the "Pars-I" remote sensing and imaging satellite
into space with the assistance of Russia.
Key
takeaways:
●
The remote Pars 1 research-sensing
satellite, launched by a Russian Soyuz
rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome, weighs 134 kg.
Pars
1 Satellite:
Launched
from:
●
The satellite was launched from Russia's
Vostochny launch base, which is located about 8,000 km (5,000 miles) east of
Moscow.
Developed
by:
●
"Pars-I" is fully developed
domestically within Iran.
Objective:
●
Pars 1, intended for land observation from an altitude of 310 miles, shows Iran's
advancement in space technology.
●
Remote
sensing and imaging, focused on scanning Iran’s topography.
Orbit
Altitude:
310 miles (500km)
Significance:
●
The launch is part of Iran’s broader
efforts in space technology, following its claim of launching three satellites
into orbit using its own rocket earlier in January.
Criticisms:
●
These developments have sparked
international debates over the dual-use nature of satellite launch
technologies, which could be repurposed for ballistic missile capabilities,
including those potentially carrying nuclear warheads.
Go
back to basics:
Russo-Iranian
Cooperation:
●
The launch of Pars 1 follows the August
2022 deployment of Iran’s Khayyam
satellite, also facilitated by Russia.
●
This pattern of collaboration indicates a
strengthening of scientific and technological ties between Iran and Russia,
amidst broader geopolitical tensions.
●
There’s speculation and concern about the
potential military advantages such cooperation might afford Russia,
particularly in the context of its military activities in Ukraine.