Correct Answer : Option (C) - Iran
Iran’s powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard on Saturday(5th Nov 2022) launched a new satellite-carrying rocket, state TV reported, seeking to demonstrate the force’s space prowess even as anti-government protests rage across the country.
* Guard successfully launched the solid-fueled rocket — what it called a Ghaem-100 satellite carrier.
* The state-run IRNA news agency reported that the carrier could put a satellite weighing 80 kg (176 pounds) into orbit some 500 kilometers (310 miles) from Earth.
* Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of the Guard’s aerospace division, said he hoped the Guard would soon use the rocket to put a new satellite, named Nahid, into orbit.
* Iran has one of the biggest missile programs in the Middle East. The country says its satellite program, like its nuclear activities, is aimed at scientific research and other civilian applications.
* Over the past decade, Iran has sent several short-lived satellites into orbit and in 2013 launched a monkey into space. The program, however, has had several failed satellite launches in recent years, blamed on technical issues.
* Iran successfully launched its first military satellite in April 2020, drawing a sharp rebuke from Washington.
* The
United States and other
Western countries have long been suspicious of the program because the same technology can be used to develop
long-range missiles. Previous launches have drawn rebukes from the US..
Source : Times of Israel
