Iran says it launched 3 satellites into orbit simultaneously

The nation has suffered from several satellite launch failures in the past.

Tehran:

Iran said on Sunday it launched three satellites into orbit simultaneously, nearly a week after Western criticism of the launch of a research satellite by the Revolutionary Guards. “Three Iranian satellites have been successfully launched into orbit for the first time,” state TV reported.

It said the satellites were carried by a two-stage Simorgh (Phoenix) satellite carrier and launched into a minimum orbit of 450 kilometers (280 mi).

The Mahda satellite, which weighs about 32 kilograms and was developed by Iran’s space agency, is designed to test advanced satellite sub-systems, the official IRNA news agency said.

The other two, Kayhan 2 and Hatef, each weigh less than 10 kilograms and are intended to test space-based positioning technology and narrowband communications, IRNA said.

Last week, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sent the research satellite Soraya into space.

Britain, France and Germany condemned the launch in a statement, which Iran dismissed as “interventionist.”

Western governments, including the United States, have repeatedly warned Iran against such launches, and have said the same technology could be used for ballistic missiles, including missiles designed to deliver nuclear warheads. .

Iran has responded that it is not seeking nuclear weapons and that its satellites and rocket launches are only for civilian or defense purposes.

The Islamic Republic has suffered several satellite launch failures in the past.

The successful launch of its first military satellite, Noor-1, into orbit in April 2020 drew sharp criticism from the United States.

Tehran has been under US sanctions since Washington withdrew in 2018 from a landmark nuclear deal that had given Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear activities designed to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.

Iran has always denied any ambition to develop a nuclear weapons capability and insists that its activities are entirely peaceful.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)