Iran successfully launched its biggest space payload on Friday, consisting of a satellite and a space tug, using a domestically made satellite carrier, according to official media.
The cargo weighed 300 kilogrammes (660 pounds) and included the Fakhr-1 telecommunications satellite and the Saman-1 space tug, according to state TV.
The Saman-1 is a “orbital transmission system” meant to carry satellites from lower to higher orbits, according to the Iran Space Research Center, which debuted it in 2017.
The launch is a “operational step” toward shifting satellites to higher orbits, according to the TV report.
The technology was initially unveiled in February 2017 at a ceremony attended by Iran’s then-president, Hassan Rouhani, and was tested in 2022.
The payloads were launched from Semnan province’s Imam Khomeini launch site with the domestic Simorgh satellite carrier.
The Simorgh, named after a mythological Iranian bird, is a two-stage liquid-fueled satellite launch vehicle developed by Iran’s defense ministry.
Iran said in September that it had successfully launched the Chamran-1 research satellite into orbit using the Ghaem-100 carrier developed by the Revolutionary Guards’ aerospace section.
Western nations, particularly the United States, have frequently cautioned Iran against such launches, fearing that satellite technology might be exploited to develop ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.
Iran denies that it seeks nuclear weapons. It has constantly asserted that its satellite and rocket launches are intended for civil and defense uses.
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Source: NDTV
