<p>Iran on Sunday (Jan 28)&nbsp;announced the successful launch of three satellites into space by utilising a rocket with a history of multiple failures.</p>

<p>The satellite launch, part of a programme criticised by the West for its perceived impact on Tehran's ballistic missile capabilities, coincides with heightened tensions in West Asia amid the Israel-Hamas war.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/report-says-us-had-warned-iran-of-attack-before-is-twin-bombings-683696">Report says US had warned Iran of attack before Islamic State twin bombings</a></strong></p>

<p>While Iran has not directly entered the conflict, mounting pressure within the country follows a recent Islamic State suicide bombing and actions by proxy groups such as Yemen's Houthi rebels.</p>

<p><strong>Also watch |&nbsp;Iran successfully launches Sorayya satellite in orbit</strong></p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/iran-successfully-launches-sorayya-satellite-in-orbit-681938/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Concurrently, the collective Western nations express concerns over Iran's expanding nuclear programme.</p>

<p>Footage released by Iranian state television displayed the nighttime launch of the Simorgh rocket at the Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Semnan province, 319 km east of Tehran.</p>

<p>State TV identified the launched satellites as Mahda, Kayhan-2, and Hatef-1, serving various research and communication purposes.</p>

<p>Despite previous setbacks, including five consecutive failed launches, the Simorgh programme continues.</p>

<h2><strong>Iran's space programme</strong></h2>

<p>Under former President Hassan Rouhani, Iran's space programme slowed, but with the collapse of the 2015 nuclear deal and rising tensions, President Ebrahim Raisi has accelerated efforts. While uranium enrichment is at unprecedented levels, intelligence agencies suggest no active pursuit of nuclear weapons.</p>

<h2><strong>What does it mean?</strong></h2>

<p>The US intelligence community's 2023 worldwide threat assessment said that the development of satellite launch vehicles "shortens the timeline" for Iran to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile.</p>

<p>The US has criticised Iran's satellite launches, citing defiance of a UN Security Council resolution. The 2023 worldwide threat assessment underscores the potential dual-use nature of Iran's satellite launch vehicles, warning of implications for intercontinental ballistic missile development.</p>

<p>France, Germany, and the United Kingdom have also joined the US in condemning&nbsp;Iran's recent satellite launch.</p>

<p>Tehran, which maintains the largest ballistic missile arsenal in West Asia, faces scrutiny due to the supply of such missiles to Yemen's Houthi rebels. The Houthis, in turn, have utilised these Iran-supplied missiles to strike merchant ships in the Red Sea in their purported support for Palestinians in Gaza amid Israel-Hamas war.<br />
<br />
<em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Iran on Sunday (Jan 28) announced the successful launch of three satellites into space by utilising a rocket with a history of multiple failures. The satellite launch, part of a programme criticised by the West for its perceived impact on Tehran's ballistic missile capabilities, coincides with heightened tensions in West Asia amid the Israel-Hamas war.

Iran on Sunday (Jan 28) announced the successful launch of three satellites into space by utilising a rocket with a history of multiple failures. The satellite launch, part of a programme criticised by the West for its perceived impact on Tehran's ballistic missile capabilities, coincides with heightened tensions in West Asia amid the Israel-Hamas war. Also read | Report says US had warned Iran of attack before Islamic State twin bombings While Iran has not directly entered the conflict, mounting pressure within the country follows a recent Islamic State suicide bombing and actions by proxy groups such as Yemen's Houthi rebels. Also watch | Iran successfully launches Sorayya satellite in orbit × Concurrently, the collective Western nations express concerns over Iran's expanding nuclear programme. Footage released by Iranian state television displayed the nighttime launch of the Simorgh rocket at the Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Semnan province, 319 km east of Tehran. State TV identified the launched satellites as Mahda, Kayhan-2, and Hatef-1, serving various research and communication purposes. Despite previous setbacks, including five consecutive failed launches, the Simorgh programme continues. Iran's space programme Under former President Hassan Rouhani, Iran's space programme slowed, but with the collapse of the 2015 nuclear deal and rising tensions, President Ebrahim Raisi has accelerated efforts. While uranium enrichment is at unprecedented levels, intelligence agencies suggest no active pursuit of nuclear weapons. What does it mean? The US intelligence community's 2023 worldwide threat assessment said that the development of satellite launch vehicles "shortens the timeline" for Iran to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile. The US has criticised Iran's satellite launches, citing defiance of a UN Security Council resolution. The 2023 worldwide threat assessment underscores the potential dual-use nature of Iran's satellite launch vehicles, warning of implications for intercontinental ballistic missile development. France, Germany, and the United Kingdom have also joined the US in condemning Iran's recent satellite launch. Tehran, which maintains the largest ballistic missile arsenal in West Asia, faces scrutiny due to the supply of such missiles to Yemen's Houthi rebels. The Houthis, in turn, have utilised these Iran-supplied missiles to strike merchant ships in the Red Sea in their purported support for Palestinians in Gaza amid Israel-Hamas war. (With inputs from agencies)

Iran launches three satellites into space as tensions grip West Asia

Iran has successfully launched its Sorayya satellite into orbit, Iranian state media reported on Saturday, in a move likely to increase Western concerns about Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

Iran successfully launches Sorayya satellite in orbit

<p>Iran on Saturday (January 20) successfully launched a satellite, said official news agency IRNA citing a minister. The launch is being described as a milestone for the country's aerospace programme. The West has often criticised the Iranian space programme.</p>

<p>The United States, in particular, has been vocal in its criticism of the space programme saying that Iran may use the same technology for ballistic missiles which could possibly carry nuclear warheads. Iran denies this saying that it has no ambition of developing nuclear weapons capability and that its rocket launches are only for civil or defence purposes.</p>

<p>"The Soraya satellite of the Iranian Space Organisation... was successfully launched with the Qaem 100 satellite carrier of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," the official IRNA news agency said.</p>

<p>"This is the first time that Iran has successfully placed a satellite in orbits higher than 500 kilometres (310 miles)," IRNA said.</p>

<p>IRNA quoted Iran's Telecommunications Minister Issa Zarepour who said that the satellite weighing 50 kilogrammes was placed in an orbit 750 kilometres above Earth.</p>

<p><strong>Watch | Israel's Strike in Damascus: Iran claims 4 of its officers killed in attack</strong></p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/israels-strike-in-damascus-iran-claims-4-of-its-officers-killed-in-attack-681870/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards has developed the Qaem 100 rocket. It is a three-stage solid-fuel satellite launcher which is first of its kind for Iran.</p>

<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-says-israeli-strike-on-damascus-kills-guards-syria-spy-chief-along-with-4-others-681852">Iran says Israeli strike on Damascus killed Guards’ Syria spy chief along with 4 others</a></strong></p>

<p>Iran hasn't always tasted success in its satellite launches and there have been several failed attempts in past. In April 2020, it was successful in launching Nour-1, the country's first military satellite.</p>

<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/turkeys-first-astronaut-launched-on-flight-to-international-space-station-681841">Turkey’s first astronaut launched on flight to International Space Station</a></strong></p>

<p>The United States and Iran warmed up to each other after the landmark nuclear deal struck during the tenure of former US president Barack Obama. But his successor former US president Donald Trump unilaterally pulled US out of the deal and re-imposed crippling sanctions on Iran and its economy. After US Presidents Joe Biden took office, efforts began to revive the deal but the talks have not yielded much so far.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Iran on Saturday (January 20) successfully launched a satellite, said official news agency IRNA citing a minister. The launch is being described as a milestone for the country's aerospace programme.

Iran on Saturday (January 20) successfully launched a satellite, said official news agency IRNA citing a minister. The launch is being described as a milestone for the country's aerospace programme. The West has often criticised the Iranian space programme. The United States, in particular, has been vocal in its criticism of the space programme saying that Iran may use the same technology for ballistic missiles which could possibly carry nuclear warheads. Iran denies this saying that it has no ambition of developing nuclear weapons capability and that its rocket launches are only for civil or defence purposes. "The Soraya satellite of the Iranian Space Organisation... was successfully launched with the Qaem 100 satellite carrier of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," the official IRNA news agency said. "This is the first time that Iran has successfully placed a satellite in orbits higher than 500 kilometres (310 miles)," IRNA said. IRNA quoted Iran's Telecommunications Minister Issa Zarepour who said that the satellite weighing 50 kilogrammes was placed in an orbit 750 kilometres above Earth. Watch | Israel's Strike in Damascus: Iran claims 4 of its officers killed in attack × Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards has developed the Qaem 100 rocket. It is a three-stage solid-fuel satellite launcher which is first of its kind for Iran. Also Read | Iran says Israeli strike on Damascus killed Guards’ Syria spy chief along with 4 others Iran hasn't always tasted success in its satellite launches and there have been several failed attempts in past. In April 2020, it was successful in launching Nour-1, the country's first military satellite. Also Read | Turkey’s first astronaut launched on flight to International Space Station The United States and Iran warmed up to each other after the landmark nuclear deal struck during the tenure of former US president Barack Obama. But his successor former US president Donald Trump unilaterally pulled US out of the deal and re-imposed crippling sanctions on Iran and its economy. After US Presidents Joe Biden took office, efforts began to revive the deal but the talks have not yielded much so far. (With inputs from agencies)

Iran launches satellite, places it in 750 km orbit: Official news agency

<p>Iran's Revolutionary Guards carried out a successful launch of a third military satellite on Wednesday (September 27), country's state media repoted citing Minister of Communications Issa Zarepour.</p>

<p>The state media report said that Noor 3 imaging satellite was orbiting at an altitude of 450 kilometres (280 miles) above Earth's surface. It was launched using three-stage Qased or messenger carrier. The satellite's predecessor Noor 2 was launched in 2022 in the same manner.</p>

<p>The US military has said that the long-range ballistic technology used by Iran to launch satellites may also enable it to launch long-range weapons, possibly even nuclear warheads.</p>

<p>Iran denies the US assertion that activities like satellite launch is a cover for development of ballistic missiles and maintains that it has never pursued development of nuclear weapons.</p>

<p>Iran has one of the biggest missile programmes in West Asia. The country has suffered several failed attempts to launch satellites due to technical issues.</p>

<p>US slapped fresh Iran-related sanctions on September 19. The sanctions targetted multiple people and also entities in Iran, Russia, China and Turkey over connections with Iran's drone and military aircraft development.</p>

<p>It had previously imposed sanctions on Iran's civilian space agency and two research organisations in 2019, saying they were being used to advance Tehran's ballistic missile program.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

<p><em>You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form"><strong>here</strong></a>.</em></p>

<p><strong><em>WATCH WION LIVE HERE</em></strong></p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Iran's Revolutionary Guards carried out a successful launch of a third military satellite on Wednesday (September 27), country's state media repoted citing Minister of Communications Issa Zarepour.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards carried out a successful launch of a third military satellite on Wednesday (September 27), country's state media repoted citing Minister of Communications Issa Zarepour. The state media report said that Noor 3 imaging satellite was orbiting at an altitude of 450 kilometres (280 miles) above Earth's surface. It was launched using three-stage Qased or messenger carrier. The satellite's predecessor Noor 2 was launched in 2022 in the same manner. The US military has said that the long-range ballistic technology used by Iran to launch satellites may also enable it to launch long-range weapons, possibly even nuclear warheads. Iran denies the US assertion that activities like satellite launch is a cover for development of ballistic missiles and maintains that it has never pursued development of nuclear weapons. Iran has one of the biggest missile programmes in West Asia. The country has suffered several failed attempts to launch satellites due to technical issues. US slapped fresh Iran-related sanctions on September 19. The sanctions targetted multiple people and also entities in Iran, Russia, China and Turkey over connections with Iran's drone and military aircraft development. It had previously imposed sanctions on Iran's civilian space agency and two research organisations in 2019, saying they were being used to advance Tehran's ballistic missile program. (With inputs from agencies) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Iran successfully launches new military satellite into orbit, says state media

<p><a href="&lt;div class=&quot;videoWrapper trancodeVideo&quot;&gt;&lt;iframe src=&quot;https://www.wionews.com/videos/the-west-asia-post-will-it-be-a-long-road-to-the-iran-nuclear-deal-360402/embed&quot; width=&quot;560&quot; height=&quot;350&quot; style=&quot;width:100%;max-width:560px;&quot; class=&quot;includeVideo&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; autoplay=1 allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;">Iran </a>on Monday completed the test launch of a satellite-carrying rocket below orbit, according to the country's defence ministry.</p>

<p><strong>Watch:</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/the-west-asia-post-will-it-be-a-long-road-to-the-iran-nuclear-deal-360402/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>Iran maintains that its satellite programme is aimed at peaceful applications, however, western nations say that the programme could have military applications for <strong>missile </strong>development.</p>

<p>According to Iran's space ministry division,&nbsp;it was a <strong>"hybrid satellite carrier" </strong>which has &nbsp;"500 kilometres altitude orbit and can carry a 220 kilogramme payload."</p>

<p>The rocket can also be launched from a mobile platform with reports indicating that the launch took place from central<strong> Semnan province </strong>where the country has a space centre.</p>

<p>The launch of the new satellite comes even as the country is in talks with European nations for its return to the nuclear deal.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Iran's foreign minister had urged<strong> EU</strong> foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to play a role in helping the country to get back into the <strong>2015 nuclear deal </strong>after Trump administration had walked out of the accord.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
US President<strong> Joe Biden</strong> had voiced support for returning to the accord but with several preconditions including nuclear compliance even as new US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that Iran could now produce enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon within "a few months."</p>

<p>However, foreign minister Zarif said Iran could return to its previous nuclear commitments in less than a day.</p>


Iran on Monday completed the test launch of a satellite-carrying rocket below orbit, according to the country's defence ministry. Watch: Iran maintains that its satellite programme is aimed at peaceful applications, however, western nations say that the programme could have military applications for missile development.

Iran on Monday completed the test launch of a satellite-carrying rocket below orbit, according to the country's defence ministry. Watch: Iran maintains that its satellite programme is aimed at peaceful applications, however, western nations say that the programme could have military applications for missile development. According to Iran's space ministry division, it was a "hybrid satellite carrier" which has "500 kilometres altitude orbit and can carry a 220 kilogramme payload." The rocket can also be launched from a mobile platform with reports indicating that the launch took place from central Semnan province where the country has a space centre. The launch of the new satellite comes even as the country is in talks with European nations for its return to the nuclear deal. Iran's foreign minister had urged EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to play a role in helping the country to get back into the 2015 nuclear deal after Trump administration had walked out of the accord. US President Joe Biden had voiced support for returning to the accord but with several preconditions including nuclear compliance even as new US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that Iran could now produce enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon within "a few months." However, foreign minister Zarif said Iran could return to its previous nuclear commitments in less than a day.

Iran launches satellite-carrying rocket

Satellites have caught fresh construction work at Iran's underground Fordo nuclear site. After the assassination of top scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Tehran is sending a message to its adversaries.

Gravitas: Iran: Satellite images show construction work at Fordo nuclear site

iran-satellite

Iran Satellite, News on Iran Satellite, stories on Iran Satellite, articles on Iran Satellite, Iran Satellite stories at Wion, Iran Satellite news, Iran Satellite latest news