One U.S. counter-proliferation official, who asked for anonymity when discussing sensitive information, described the two-stage Safir-2 rocket (which lofted a satellite nicknamed Omid, or “Hope”) was “not sophisticated.” The official said that reports reaching the U.S. government indicate the technology was around 50 years old, the equivalent of the rocket that put the Soviet “Sputnik” satellite into low-earth orbit in 1957. The launch was a “largely symbolic” gesture by Iran’s theocratic regime, the official said. A U.S. defense official said the Iranians attempted a similar mission last August. That mission reportedly failed when the rocket, carrying a dummy payload, apparently failed to reach orbit.
