Iran: Military satellite placed into orbit

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on 22 April it had successfully launched a military satellite and placed it into orbit, ending a run of failed launches. The Noor (Light) satellite was carried on the Qassed rocket and launched from a site in Dasht-e Kavir, in central Iran. It coincided with the anniversary of the IRGC’s establishment in 1979. IRGC commander Major General Hossein Salami said the satellite “can produce strategic added value for us, and it creates powerful grounds for us in intelligence warfare”.