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Data: Iran’s test launch a failure

By · August 19, 2008

Iran’s test of a satellite launch was a failure, data show.

 

Aviation Week reported Tuesday that Iran’s attempt Monday to launch a satellite into orbit was unsuccessful, despite Iran’s claims to the contrary. The launch was tracked by a U.S. Navy destroyer patrolling the Persian Gulf as well as infrared data from the U.S. Air Force.

 

Iranian television showed a successful liftoff, the magazine said, but the radar and infrared data show that the launch vehicle spun out of control at higher altitudes.

 

“The failed launch shows that the purported Iranian space program is in its nascent stages at best,” an unnamed U.S. official told Reuters. “They have a long way to go.”

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