Iran launches heaviest space payload into orbit: media

TEHRAN: Iran successfully launched on Friday its heaviest space payload, which includes a satellite and a space tug, using a domestically developed satellite carrier, official media reported.

Weighing 300 kilogrammes, the payload consisted of the Fakhr-1 telecommunications satellite and the Saman-1 space tug, according to state television.

The Saman-1 is an “orbital transmission system” designed to transport satellites from lower orbits to higher ones, as described by the Iran Space Research Center when it was unveiled in 2017. The launch marks an “operational step” toward transferring satellites into higher orbits, the TV report said.

The system was first introduced in February 2017 at a ceremony attended by Iran´s then-president, Hassan Rouhani, and was test-launched in 2022.

The payloads were launched using the homegrown Simorgh satellite carrier from the Imam Khomeini launch base in Semnan province.

Named after a mythical Iranian bird, the Simorgh is a two-stage, liquid-fuelled satellite launch vehicle developed by Iran´s defence ministry.

In September, Iran said it successfully put the Chamran-1 research satellite into orbit using the Ghaem-100 carrier, which is produced by the Revolutionary Guards´ aerospace division.

Western governments, including the United States, have repeatedly warned Iran against such launches, arguing technology used for satellites could be applied to ballistic missiles, potentially capable of carrying nuclear warheads.