Iran Opens Space Center

Well, “space center” might be kind of a stretch. Iran opened a “launch facility” with an underground control center with the intention of launching satellites to monitor the regions of their country which are prone to natural disaster. (Ahem, *cough*)

They left the whole part about spying on Israel out of their position statement.

Let’s be truthful here. Iran may be interested in developing technology for participation in the space race, but the engineering techniques and the science are coming from a Russia that is increasingly tied to the rogue state. First Russia transfers “peaceful” nuclear technology to aid in the development of civilian nuclear reactors, and now they’re helping them build rockets that have the potential to reach low Earth orbit. For those of you a little slow on the uptake: Rockets that reach low Earth orbit also have the potential to be intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). The technology that pitted the USA against the USSR at the height of the space race had as its incidental side benefit improvement in point to point nuclear bombardment over long ranges. Another scary side-effect of such a development would be the ability of a space-capable Iran to destroy or damage current US intelligence assets in orbit. Need I go further with my worse-case scenarios?

I am and have always been cautiously optimistic about China’s space program. While I’d prefer that Americans were the ones leading the way and I much prefer our way of life and our culture, I truly believe that history dictates that their totalitarian regime will fail in the face of open markets and burgeoning capitalism. If the West refuses to exploit the race’s future off-planet, then China may be the one to carry the torch outward. However, a radical Islamic country with space technology (even if it is Russian) scares me. This is a more serious threat to the long-term security of the United States than ten nuclear reactors. Too much of our intelligence capability and the core functions of our weapons systems rely on our satellite network. A relatively low tech ground-to-space option could render everything from navigation to artillery useless on the battlefield. If we’re looking for an excuse for a pre-emptive strike, this makes a stronger case to me than the misty potential for WMDs.