Iran launches military satellite, sending nation's largest-ever payload to orbit: reports

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The satellites weighed a combined 660 pounds (300 kilograms).

a rocket launches at dusk above a plume of fire and smoke in the desert
An Iranian Simorgh rocket launches on Dec. 6, 2024. (Image credit: Iranian Ministry of Defense)

Iran's space program continues to make progress as the nation announces the successful launch of its largest payload yet.

Iranian state media says one of the nation's two-stage Simorgh rockets launched on Friday (Dec. 6) with payloads weighing a combined 660 pounds (300 kilograms). Those payloads include a space tug known as Saman-1 that can boost satellites to higher orbits, the Fakhr-1 cubesat and an undisclosed "research payload," according to Reuters.

The three payloads were placed into an elliptical, or oval-shaped, low Earth orbit reaching up to 255 miles (410 kilometers) at its highest point, or apogee, and 184 miles (300 km) at its lowest, or perigee. While Iranian media is lauding the launch as "a milestone for Iran's space sector," some analysts in the West say the launch only serves to further the country's burgeoning nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.

The Saman-1 space tug launched on Friday would enable Iran to boost satellites in low Earth orbit up to higher orbits such as geosynchronous orbit, where spacecraft remain over the same area of Earth at all times. Such a capability to raise orbits would eliminate the need for larger launch vehicles and reduce fuel costs, making it easier for Iranian satellites to reach higher orbits.

The Fakhr-1 cubesat, meanwhile, is a technology demonstration mission, intended to verify the ability of the Simorgh rocket's second stage to deploy multiple satellites, according to Iranian state media.

Iran's space program is criticized in the West. The United States and other nations accuse Iran of defying United Nations Security Council resolutions that prohibit the nation from developing ballistic missile technologies, which are parallel to rocket development.

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A U.S. intelligence report released in July claimed that Iran's Simorgh rocket "probably would shorten the timeline to produce an intercontinental ballistic missile, if it decided to develop one, because the systems use similar technologies," according to Reuters.

Iran's launch of these three satellites today follows a similar flight in January 2024 that marked the first orbital launch of the Simorgh rocket. That launch also placed three Iranian-made satellites into low Earth orbit.

Months earlier, Iran launched what it described as an "indigenous bio-capsule" in order to verify technologies to help put its own astronauts into space. Some media reports claimed there were animals aboard, but these remain unconfirmed.

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Brett Tingley
Brett Tingley
Managing Editor, Space.com

Brett is curious about emerging aerospace technologies, alternative launch concepts, military space developments and uncrewed aircraft systems. Brett's work has appeared on Scientific American, The War Zone, Popular Science, the History Channel, Science Discovery and more. Brett has English degrees from Clemson University and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In his free time, Brett enjoys skywatching throughout the dark skies of the Appalachian mountains.

5 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Unclear Engineer
    I am not seeing much value in a "space tug" that only weighs something less than 600 pounds. It could not have enough propellant left in it to lift another object of any significance into geosynchronous orbit, even if Iran has developed the necessary rendezvous and docking capabilities to join 2 separately launched payloads into space.

    But, a 660 pound payload to orbit is sufficient to put a modern nuclear warhead into any target on Earth - it is ICBM launch capability.

    However, Iran may not be capable of making light and also powerful nuclear weapons. The "Fat Man" bombs that the U.S. produced in World War II weighed more like 10,000 pounds.
    Reply
  • COLGeek
    Unclear Engineer said:
    I am not seeing much value in a "space tug" that only weighs something less than 600 pounds. It could not have enough propellant left in it to lift another object of any significance into geosynchronous orbit, even if Iran has developed the necessary rendezvous and docking capabilities to join 2 separately launched payloads into space.

    But, a 660 pound payload to orbit is sufficient to put a modern nuclear warhead into any target on Earth - it is ICBM launch capability.

    However, Iran may not be capable of making light and also powerful nuclear weapons. The "Fat Man" bombs that the U.S. produced in World War II weighed more like 10,000 pounds.
    This is purely speculation and assumption in regards to "possible" intent.

    As a sovereign nation, they are certainly entitled to do as they did. Just like other space-faring nations.

    Worthy of discussion, but lets not leap to any conclusions, please.
    Reply
  • Unclear Engineer
    The speculation was already mentioned in the article, which is why I mentioned it in the comment.

    The article also mentioned Iran is intending to launch its own astronauts into space. But it seems like that is going to require a much bigger rocket. The U.S. single-seat Mercury capsules weighed about 3,000 pounds. An ICBM (Atlas missile) was necessary to get that into orbit. An IRBM (Redstone missile) was used for the first sub-orbital flights.

    Considering that Iran has been launching ballistic missiles in actual warfare this year, it is an issue worth some discussion. The "international community" has been trying to prevent Iran from making both ICBMs and nuclear weapons for decades. The same was tried with North Korea, which, as already reported, has now developed both. And North Korea has been more effectively isolated and for a longer period than Iran.
    Reply
  • COLGeek
    Unclear Engineer said:
    The speculation was already mentioned in the article, which is why I mentioned it in the comment.

    The article also mentioned Iran is intending to launch its own astronauts into space. But it seems like that is going to require a much bigger rocket. The U.S. single-seat Mercury capsules weighed about 3,000 pounds. An ICBM (Atlas missile) was necessary to get that into orbit. An IRBM (Redstone missile) was used for the first sub-orbital flights.

    Considering that Iran has been launching ballistic missiles in actual warfare this year, it is an issue worth some discussion. The "international community" has been trying to prevent Iran from making both ICBMs and nuclear weapons for decades. The same was tried with North Korea, which, as already reported, has now developed both. And North Korea has been more effectively isolated and for a longer period than Iran.
    Fully understood. We just don't need this discussion to go down any (unnecessarily) dark rabbit holes.
    Reply
  • trailrider
    Admin said:
    Iranian state media claimed one of the country's Simorgh rockets launched its largest payload yet, sending three spacecraft into low-Earth orbit on Dec. 6.

    Iran launches military satellite, sending nation's largest-ever payload to orbit: reports : Read more
    Potentially, the capability to launch certain payloads into orbit makes for the capability to make the rocket into an ICBM. However, that doesn't necessarily mean Iran has solved the reentry problem. Recall that the Russian "Chief Designer", Korylov had not done so in 1957. He went to Nikia Khrushev and persuaded him to let Sputnik I be launched to scare the daylights out of the U.S., which it did...for a time.

    While the Iranian launch of such payloads should be taken as a warning, let's not panic...yet. Perhaps things can be worked out with Iran after...uh...January 20th, for the benefit of world peace.
    Reply