TEHRAN — Iran successfully launched a satellite into space Saturday with a rocket built by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), the second put into orbit this year.

The Chamran-1 satellite, which was launched into space by the Qaem-100 satellite carrier, was put into a 550-kilometre (340-mile) orbit and its first signals had been received, officials said, adding that the solid fuel carrier was designed and built by the Aerospace Force of the IRGC.

The primary mission of the satellite, which weighs 60 kg (132 pounds), “is to test hardware and software systems for demonstrating orbital maneuvering technology in height and phase”, they said.

In January, Iran launched the Sorayya satellite into a 750 km orbit, the highest by the country so far, on board the Qaem-100. Qaem means “upright” in Iran’s Farsi language. 

The rocket bore a Qur’anic verse: “That which is left by Allah is better for you, if you are believers.”

Chamran-1’s other mission is to “evaluate the cold gas propulsion subsystem in space systems and the performance of the navigation and attitude control subsystems”.

Footage released shortly later showed the rocket blast off from a mobile launcher, suggesting the launch happened at the IRGC’s launch pad on the outskirts of the city of Shahroud, some 350 kilometers (215 miles) east of the capital, Tehran.

Gen. Hussein Salami, the head of the IRGC, praised the launch in a statement and said scientists successfully overcame “the atmosphere of extensive and oppressive international sanctions under the guidance of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.”

“The magnificent achievement embodies perfect cooperation between the IRGC and the administration in bringing national glory to Iran,” the commander said.

The joint efforts by the space department of Iran Electronics Industries, the Aerospace Research Institute of Iran, and 

knowledge-based companies indicate Iran’s resolve to make great progress in emerging technologies in the age of technological battle among the world powers, he said.
The launch of the satellite proved that the Iranian scientists have managed to rise to the cruel foreign sanctions under the expert guidance of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, he added.