The Iranian government announced the successful launch of a space “tug” into orbit. Built by the Space Research Center and launched by the Defense Ministry the Saman spacecraft is capable of shifting satellites between orbits.

This somewhat unique spacecraft got me thinking about how security concerns for unique and even not so unique space assets need to be considered. Nearly all space assets have a large amount of monetary and time investments that governments and private entities have put into them. For an adversary, it could be more economical to hijack such capabilities in times of conflict rather than develop the technology themselves.

The Associated Press. (2022, October 4). Iran says it launched test ‘tug’ into suborbital space. Retrieved from abcNEWS: https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/iran-launched-test-tug-suborbital-space-90961665