Iran's Failed Rocket Launch Spotted from Space (Photo)

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A sharp-eyed satellite spotted the smoking wreckage.

One of Planet's SkySat Earth-observation satellites spotted the wreckage of a failed launch from Iran's Imam Khomeini Space Center on Aug. 29, 2019.
One of Planet's SkySat Earth-observation satellites spotted the wreckage of a failed launch from Iran's Imam Khomeini Space Center on Aug. 29, 2019. (Image credit: Planet Labs, Inc.)

An Iranian rocket apparently exploded on the pad today (Aug. 29), marking the third launch failure of 2019 for the nation.

The ill-fated attempt originated from Imam Khomeini Space Center in northern Iran, NPR reported, citing satellite imagery captured by the San Francisco-based company Planet.

That imagery shows smoke rising into the sky from the freshly painted launch pad, NPR noted. The pad also seems to sport a large black smudge.

Related: Iran in Space: Rockets, Satellites & Monkeys (Photos)

"This looks like the space launch vehicle blew up on the launch pad," Dave Schmerler, a senior research associate at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, told NPR. Schmerler analyzed the imagery, which was first shared exclusively with NPR. 

Iran also suffered launch failures in January and February. The January launch involved a Simorgh rocket, and the February one employed a different booster, the Safir. The type of rocket that attempted to lift off today is unclear, NPR reported.

Planet (previously known as Planet Labs) has about 140 operational Earth-observation satellites in orbit, whose imagery and other data products the company sells to a variety of customers. 

Most of these spacecraft are tiny cubesats called Doves, which are about the size of a loaf of bread and can capture photos with a resolution of 10 feet to 16.5 feet (3 to 5 meters). But the imagery of today's failed launch was taken by one of Planet's minifridge-size SkySat satellites, which can resolve features as small as 3 feet (0.9 m), a company representative told Space.com. 

Mike Wall's book about the search for alien life, "Out There" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), is out now. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook. 

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Mike Wall
Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.