Iran deploys its second satellite into orbit this year, according to official state media

As reported by state media, Iran successfully deployed a research satellite into orbit on Saturday using a rocket constructed by the Revolutionary Guards.

The launch coincides with the allegations levied by the United States and European nations against Iran for the sale of ballistic missiles to Russia, which are expected to be used in its conflict with Ukraine in the near future. Tehran has refuted this claim.

According to media reports, the Chamran-1 satellite was deployed into space using the Qaem-100 satellite carrier. It was placed into a 550-kilometer (340-mile) orbit and its initial signals were detected. The solid fuel carrier was developed and constructed by the Aerospace Force of the Revolutionary Guards.

As reported by official media, the main objective of the satellite, weighing 60 kg (132 pounds), is to evaluate hardware and software systems in order to showcase orbital maneuvering technology in terms of height and phase.

Iranian media disclosed in January that the Sorayya satellite had been sent into a 750 km orbit, marking the highest altitude achieved by the nation thus far.

According to the U.S. military, the long-range ballistic technology employed for satellite launch might potentially enable Tehran to deploy long-range weapons, such as nuclear bombs.

Tehran refutes the claim that its satellite operations serve as a facade for the advancement of ballistic missiles and asserts that it has never engaged in the pursuit of nuclear weapon development.

The second objective of Chamran-1 was to assess the functionality of the cold gas propulsion subsystem in space systems, as well as the operation of the navigation and attitude control subsystems, according to state media.

Over the past few years, Iran, with one of the largest missile programs in the Middle East, has seen multiple unsuccessful satellite launches owing to technical problems.