Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has successfully put a second military satellite, the Noor 2, into orbit, the semi-official news agency Tasnim said on Tuesday.
Noor 2 is orbiting at an altitude of 500 kilometers (311 miles). The first military satellite, launched by the Islamic Republic in April 2020, placed the Noor, or “light” in Persian, at an orbit of 425km (265 miles) above the earth’s surface.
Putting a second satellite in space would be a major advance for Iran’s military, raising concerns about the country's nuclear and missile programs, according to Reuters.
The US military says the same long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit could also allow Tehran to launch longer-range weapons, possibly including nuclear warheads.
“The IRGC successfully placed Iran’s second military satellite, Noor 2, into orbit 500 kilometers from earth,” Tasnim said.
The three-stage Qased, or “Messenger,” carrier launched the Noor 2, from the Shahroud space port, it added.
The same type of rockets, which use a combination of liquid and solid fuels, carried the first military satellite.
