satellite launches

If all goes as planned, the SUV-sized Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite will produce research data within several months.

Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC’s aerospace force, said that Iran is determined to put more satellites into space using a new satellite launch vehicle.

While Mehrabi has been publicly linked to Iran's drone project, his role expands to the country's space and ballistic missile programs.

Washington fears the same long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit could also be used to launch nuclear warheads.

Israel and the US are concerned the technology could be used for intel and nuke progress.

The 23-ton laboratory is the second module of the station to be built on Earth and shot off into space, the first having blasted off in late April 2021.

Iran's growing confidence in space can be seen in the report that the IRGC is planning on launching not just one, but multiple satellites into space within the next year.

The CAPSTONE CubeSat will test the near rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) for the eventual Gateway lunar orbit outpost and innovative navigation technology.

It was the very first program of its kind between Israeli and Arab students jointly studying satellite engineering and astronomy, and the agency has other projects planned.

The Israeli students' satellite launches marked the first-ever instance where eight satellites built by students were simultaneously launched.