The Shah Never Did That: The Islamic Republic of Iran has successfully achieved earth orbit with its first-ever satellite. According to wire services reports, the Iranian Sina-1 spacecraft on Oct. 27 was launched from a Russian space center aboard a launch vehicle built by Iranian and Russian scientists. Sina-1 was one of nine space vehicles carried into space on the rocket. The Iranian spacecraft is described as a research satellite that will survey the surface of the Earth, according to the Russian Space Agency.
The Pentagon agency charged with building and operating U.S. spy satellites recently declassified some details about a Cold War-era surveillance program called Jumpseat—a revelation it says sheds light on the importance of satellite imaging technology and how it has advanced in the decades since.
