Iran launches first military satellite, say Revolutionary Guards

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards force said on Wednesday it had launched the country’s first military satellite which had gone into orbit.

The powerful force said a “Messenger” satellite carrier was used to launch the Noor (light) satellite, without going into further detail on the technology used.

The launch took place at a time of high tension with the United States over Tehran’s nuclear and missile programmes and months after Iranian top military commander Qassem Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad on January 3.

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“Iran’s first military satellite, Noor, was launched this morning from central Iran in two stages. The launch was successful and the satellite reached orbit,” state TV said.

Noor was now orbiting 425km (264 miles) above the Earth’s surface, the Guards said on their website.