IRGC Launches Another Satellite into Space

Iranian news agencies reported on Wednesday, September 27, that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched its third satellite into space. The Tasnim news agency, close to the IRGC, wrote that the mission of the satellite "Noor 3" is "imaging." The announcement of the satellite launch was made by Hossein Salami, the commander of the IRGC. Eisa Zarepour, the Minister of Communications of the Islamic Republic, also announced the launch on the "X" network. Tasnim reported that this satellite is positioned in a 450-kilometer orbit around the Earth. Previously, the IRGC Aerospace Force had stated that it placed the "Noor 1" satellite in a 425-kilometer orbit on April 22, 2020, and the "Noor 2" satellite in a 500-kilometer orbit on February 27, 2022. Meanwhile, Hossein Salami stated that the "Noor 3" satellite is equipped with imaging equipment with better accuracy and quality. The Islamic Republic had previously launched a satellite named "Khayyam" into space with a Russian rocket, which experts say has military and espionage capabilities. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, expressed hope that two more satellites would be launched into space by the end of this year. Last year, after the Islamic Republic announced that it had launched the solid-fuel satellite carrier "Zoljanah" into space, the U.S. State Department stated that Iran's satellite launches "violate UN Security Council resolutions." In this context, the Islamic Republic's plans to develop its drone and missile programs come at a time when, in mid-February 2022, six members of the U.S. House of Representatives wrote a letter to President Joe Biden, urging him to consider the Islamic Republic's missile capabilities a "serious threat." Some Western experts say that the IRGC's space program is a cover for developing intercontinental missiles. U.S. officials have repeatedly emphasized that they will counter the destabilizing actions of the Islamic Republic, including the missile activities of the IRGC.