Iran puts second military satellite into orbit

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has successfully placed a second military satellite, Noor 2, into orbit, the Tasnim news agency said on Tuesday.

The announcement came as negotiations held in Vienna to revive an agreement curbing Iran’s nuclear program reached a critical stage.

Noor 2 is orbiting at an altitude of 500 kilometers. The first military satellite, launched by the Islamic Republic in April 2020, placed Noor – the Persian word for “light” – in an orbit 425 km above the Earth’s surface.

Placing a second satellite in space is a major breakthrough for Iran’s military, and raises concerns about the country’s nuclear and missile programs.

The US military says the same long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit could also allow Tehran to launch long-range weapons, possibly including nuclear warheads.

Tehran denies US claims that such activity is a cover for ballistic missile development and says it has never pursued the development of nuclear weapons.

“The IRGC has successfully placed Iran’s second military satellite, Noor 2, into orbit 500 kilometers from Earth,” Tasnim said.

The three-stage aircraft carrier Qased, or “Messenger”, launched Noor 2 from spaceport Shahroud, he added. The same type of rocket, which uses a combination of liquid and solid fuels, carried the first military satellite.

Source: CNN Brasil

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