Observers are worried these launches could be used as a cover for an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) development program. Since February 2008, Iran has attempted 13 space launches, four of which managed to put Iranian satellites into orbit for a short time. The Iranian space program has been the subject of scrutiny since the mid-2000s. All previous efforts to launch a satellite into space have been run by the Iranian Space Agency, in coordination with the Ministry of Defense, so this launch represents a major deviation. The success of the launch earned Noor a “ code designator” by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Noor was carried by a three-stage Qassed (“messenger”) space-launch vehicle (SLV) and the military satellite is believed to be orbiting the earth at an altitude of about 440 kilometers (km). On April 22, 2020, Iran successfully launched its first military satellite Noor-1 (“light”) into low-earth orbit and simultaneously announced its parallel military space program run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard’s Corps (IRGC).
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