Noor-3 Satellite:
Iran recently launched Noor-3 imaging satellite into space.
- Noor-3 Satellite is an imaging satellite developed by Iran.
- It is a satellite with potential spying capabilities, boosting Iran’s abilities in space.
- It has been put in an orbit 450 kilometers (280 miles) above the Earth’s surface.
- It was launched by the three-stage Qased, or messenger carrier.
- The spacecraft’s two predecessors, Noor-1 and Noor-2, launched in April 2020 and March 2022, respectively, also atop Qased rockets.
- Noor-1 fell back to Earth in April 2022, but Noor-2 remains operational and may work in concert with Noor 3 when the latter satellite comes online.
- The launch was carried out by the aerospace arm of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
- The Guard operates its own space program parallel to Iran’s regular armed forces and answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
- It launched its first satellite into space in April 2020 (Noor-1)
