Iran's boasts successful launch of Chamran-1 satellite

Iran has successfully launched a new research satellite into orbit, the country's state media said on Saturday.

The launch, whose success has not been independently confirmed, is likely to irritate Western governments. The US and its allies warn that the same technology used for satellite launches can also be used for ballistic missiles, including missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads.

What do we know about the launch?

"The Chamran-1 research satellite was successfully launched and put into orbit by the Ghaem-100 carrier," state television said. 

The Ghaem-100 rocket, built by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, was used in January for another successful launch.

Footage released by Iranian media suggested that the launch occurred at the Guard's launch pad near the city of Shahroud, some 350 kilometers (215 miles) east of the capital, Tehran.

The solid-fuel rocket put the satellite, weighing 60 kilograms (132 pounds), into a 550-kilometer (340-mile) orbit, state media reported.

Iran's uranium stockpiles enough for 'several' nuclear bombs

The United States has previously said Iran's satellite launches go against a UN Security Council resolution.

In a worldwide threat assessment this year, the US intelligence community said Iran's development of satellite launch vehicles would bring forward the country's capability of devolping an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, has repeatedly warned that Iran now has enough enriched uranium for "several" nuclear weapons, with Tehran resuming the production of uranium at near weapons-grade levels after the collapse of its nuclear deal with world powers.

Iran has always denied that it wants to build nuclear weapons. It says its space program, like its nuclear activities, is for purely civilian purposes.

tj/dj (AP, AFP)