Really Rocket Science

Accoring to CNN, the Pentagon doesn't agree:

"The Iranians did not successfully launch the rocket," a senior U.S. defense official told CNN Monday.

The two-stage rocket could have been capable of launching a satellite into space, but the U.S. intelligence assessment shows that the second stage "was erratic and out of control," said the official, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the intelligence.

The rocket "did not perform as designed," the official said.

Another U.S. defense official who also asked not to be named said the most immediate monitoring of the Iranian test came from the USS Russell in the Persian Gulf using its radar.

The U.S. assessment differs sharply from reports in the Islamic Republic News Agency which said the rocket launch was successful and "paved the way for placing the first Iranian satellite in orbit."

It is generally acknowledged that U.S. military and intelligence satellites have a long-standing capability to monitor rocket and missile launches around the world by detecting plumes and other launch emissions.