IRGC Prepares to Launch New Satellite Carrier

 A handout picture provided by the Iran's Ministry of Defense on June 26, 2022, shows an Iranian satellite-carrier rocket, called “Zuljanah,” blasting off from an undisclosed location in Iran. (Iran's Ministry of Defense/AFP)
A handout picture provided by the Iran's Ministry of Defense on June 26, 2022, shows an Iranian satellite-carrier rocket, called “Zuljanah,” blasting off from an undisclosed location in Iran. (Iran's Ministry of Defense/AFP)
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IRGC Prepares to Launch New Satellite Carrier

 A handout picture provided by the Iran's Ministry of Defense on June 26, 2022, shows an Iranian satellite-carrier rocket, called “Zuljanah,” blasting off from an undisclosed location in Iran. (Iran's Ministry of Defense/AFP)
A handout picture provided by the Iran's Ministry of Defense on June 26, 2022, shows an Iranian satellite-carrier rocket, called “Zuljanah,” blasting off from an undisclosed location in Iran. (Iran's Ministry of Defense/AFP)

Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh unveiled Monday plans to send a new homegrown satellite carrier into space.

Hajizadeh told Iran’s official news agency IRNA that Iran will put new satellites into orbit with its Qaem satellite carrier, which runs on solid fuel.

The Iranian state television indicated that Qaem rocket was first displayed before 2010, in the presence of Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, the “architect” of the country’s missile program.

Moghaddam was killed on November 12, 2011 in a massive explosion at a munitions base outside the capital Tehran. The blast killed 36 IRGC elements, according to figures presented by Iranian authorities.

The television also showed a picture of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei with Moghaddam, saying that Khamenei was on an inspection tour to be briefed on Qaem rocket’s project.

In January, the IRGC revealed testing solid-fuel rocket engines, the television noted.

Hajizadeh said then that the new missiles “are made of composite materials, rather than metal, and their engine is immobile.”

He explained that this “increases the missile’s power and that the technology is not expensive,” which enables it to transport heavy loads such as satellites.

Iran has previously launched liquid-fueled rockets into space.

On June 26, Iranian state television said that Tehran had launched a solid-fuel rocket into space.

Ahmad Hosseini, spokesman for Iran's Defense Ministry, said Zuljanah, a 25.5 meter-long rocket is capable of carrying a satellite of 220 kilograms (485 pounds) that would gather data in low-earth orbit and promote Iran's space industry.

Its launching process extends to three phases, two phases using solid fuel and one using liquid fuel.

Satellite images taken in March by Maxar Technologies showed scorch marks at a launch pad at Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Iran’s rural Semnan province. A rocket stand on the pad appears scorched and damaged, with vehicles surrounding it.

The rocket involved appears to have been Iran’s Zuljanah satellite launch vehicle, said experts at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies who first noticed the attempted launch with colleagues.

Earlier in March, the IRGC's Aerospace Force successfully launched the Noor-2 reconnaissance satellite at an altitude of 500 km, using the Qased carrier.

Noor-2 is Iran's second military satellite sent into Low Earth orbit following its predecessor Noor-1, which was carried by the Qased rocket in April 2020 to an orbit of 425 km above the earth's surface.



‘Bad Day:’ Trump Reflects on Assassination Bid One Year Later

Republican candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (AFP)
Republican candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (AFP)
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‘Bad Day:’ Trump Reflects on Assassination Bid One Year Later

Republican candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (AFP)
Republican candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (AFP)

US President Donald Trump says "mistakes were made" but he's satisfied with the investigation into his near-assassination a year ago, as the Secret Service announced disciplinary actions Thursday against six staff members.

In excerpts of an interview on Fox News' "My View with Lara Trump" show, airing Saturday, Trump, 79, said the elite close-protection service "had a bad day."

"There were mistakes made. And that shouldn't have happened," Trump said in the interview conducted by his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, who has her own show on the Trump-friendly news channel.

The Republican -- whose ear was nicked by a bullet while he addressed an election rally in Butler, Pennsylvania -- noted that the would-be assassin had access to a "prime building" overlooking the rally.

One bystander was killed and two other people in addition to Trump were wounded before a counter-sniper killed the gunman -- 20-year-old Thomas Crooks.

The sniper "was able to get him from a long distance with one shot. If he didn't do that, you would have had an even worse situation," Trump said. "His name is David and he did a fantastic job."

Speaking of the post-incident investigation and "the larger plot," Trump said "I'm satisfied with it."

"It was unforgettable," he said, recalling the drama. "I didn't know exactly what was going on. I got whacked. There's no question about that. And fortunately, I got down quickly. People were screaming."

The Secret Service said in a statement that the July 13, 2024, attack was "nothing short of a tragedy" and "an operational failure that the Secret Service will carry as a reminder of the critical importance of its zero-fail mission."

The agency cited communication, technical and human errors and said reforms were underway, including on coordination between different law enforcement bodies and establishment of a division dedicated to aerial surveillance.

Six unidentified staff have been disciplined, the Secret Service said. The punishments range from 10 to 42 days suspension without pay and all six were put into restricted or non-operational positions.

Among measures beefing up security, is an expansion of the fleet of armored golf carts to carry the president. Trump spends frequent weekends at his golf courses and in September last year was allegedly the target of a failed assassination plot while playing in Florida.

"The agency has taken many steps to ensure such an event can never be repeated in the future," Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a statement.