Tehran (AFP)
Iran's Defense Ministry said Monday it has tested a new satellite launcher equipped with its "more powerful" solid-fuel engine, state television reported.
This is the "first launch of the hybrid Zoljanah satellite launcher," said Ahmad Hosseini, spokesperson for the ministry's space unit, adding that it was a test.
"This three-stage launcher can compete with other current launchers in the world. It is composed of two stages of solid propulsion and a single liquid," he added.
He further stressed that he had "research objectives".
According to Mr. Hosseini, Zoljanah can place satellites in orbit at "500 kilometers altitude and carry 220 kilos" of loads.
State television images show the rocket launched from a desert area, without the location and date of the test being specified.
According to the Mehr news agency, the launch took place in the central province of Semnan, where a space center is located.
The Revolutionary Guards, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic, launched their first military satellite in April 2020.
Baptized "Nour", it had "orbit the Earth at 425 km", after being transported with the Qassed launcher equipped with a solid and liquid propulsion system similar to the Zoljanah rocket.
The United States then considered that this launch proved that the Iranian space program was intended for military rather than commercial purposes.
Tehran maintains that it has no intention of acquiring nuclear weapons and repeats that its aerospace activities are peaceful and in accordance with a UN Security Council resolution.
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