IFP Exclusive

Iran’s IRGC Says Planning to Put Satellite into Geostationary Orbit

An Iranian IRGC commander says the country plans to increase the orbital altitude of its military satellite to reach a geosynchronous equatorial orbit of 36,000 kilometres in the coming years. 

Brigadier General Ali Jafarzadeh said this orbital altitude or geostationary-orbit is important because it is specific to telecommunications and television satellites, and is a highly strategic orbit in which satellites are fixed.

The Commander of the Space Division of the IRGC’s Aerospace Force noted in an interview with Negar online magazine that putting the satellite into orbit is both economically profitable for the country and a tool for preserving the country’s space assets.

“Designing, building and assembling the system is very complicated. From the moment of launch to the moment of satellite injection, at least 10 major mechanical, chemical and electronic mechanisms occurs, which makes the process very complex.”

This Iranian commander also underscored that almost all the teams who design, build and control the satellite are young people. 

“90% of these guys are under the age of 30, and all the specialists who have a direct role in the project have studied at Iranian universities.” 

Iran successfully launched on April 22 the country’s first military satellite, Noor 1, into space. The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps said in a statement that the satellite had reached the orbit, 425 kilometres above the earth’s surface. 

A top US military officer said on Tuesday that Iran’s recent military satellite launch is a concerning feat.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army General Mark Milley said, “Different missiles can do different things, one can carry a satellite and one can carry some sort of device that can explode. So, the bottom line is yes, it is a security concern anytime Iran is testing any type of long-range missile.”

US officials have long claimed that Iran’s pursuit of satellite technology is a cover for ballistic missile activity. Tehran, meanwhile, has categorically denied those allegations saying that it is not working on a nuclear weapons program.

IFP Editorial Staff

The IFP Editorial Staff is composed of dozens of skilled journalists, news-writers, and analysts whose works are edited and published by experienced editors specialized in Iran News. The editor of each IFP Service is responsible for the report published by the Iran Front Page (IFP) news website, and can be contacted through the ways mentioned in the "IFP Editorial Staff" section.

Recent Posts

Historic all-Women flight lands in Mashhad

For the first time in Iran's aviation history, a flight carrying an all-female crew and…

8 hours ago

Tehran Cyber Police shut down 40 Instagram accounts of harassers

Tehran’s Cyber Police Chief, Brigadier General Davood Moazzami Goudarzi, announced a crackdown on individuals causing…

10 hours ago

Qatar warns may stop gas shipments to EU amid Russia-Ukraine war

Doha will stop gas shipments to the EU if member states enforce new legislation on…

10 hours ago

UK armed forces struggling for recruits: Telegraph

At least 15,000 British soldiers left the country's Armed Forces between November 2023 and October…

10 hours ago

Nearly 85k Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine: Report

Journalists have identified the names of 84,761 Russian soldiers who died during the war in…

14 hours ago

US downs own warplane while bombing Yemen: Pentagon

The United States Navy has inadvertently shot down its own F/A-18 fighter jet in a…

14 hours ago