Iran launches latest satellite carrier rocket

First military satellite went into orbit in April after several failed attempts

Zoljanah, Iran's latest satellite carrier rocket, lifts off from a desert launch facility. EPA

Iran's defence ministry on Monday said it test launched its latest satellite carrier rocket with its "most powerful" solid-fuel engine to date, state TV reported.

Ahmad Hosseini, spokesman for the ministry's space division, said the test was "the first launch of the Zoljanah hybrid satellite carrier for suborbital testing".

"This three-stage carrier can compete with the world's current carriers, and has two stages of solid propulsion and a single liquid one," he said, stating that the rocket was for research purposes.

According to Mr Hosseini, Zoljanah can put satellites in a "500 kilometre altitude orbit and carry a 220-kilogramme" payload.

He also said the rocket can be launched from a mobile platform, which provides it with "special capabilities".

Footage released by the broadcaster showed the rocket being launched in a desert area, without specifying the place and time of the test.

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According to Mehr news agency, the launch took place at the central Semnan province, where Iran has a space centre.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched the country's first military satellite, named Nour, into orbit in April last year, coming after the failed launch of a satellite two months earlier.

The IRGC said the satellite orbited the Earth at 425 kilometres and was carried by a Qassed rocket, using a liquid and solid propulsion similar to Zoljanah.

The US said the launch proved that Iran's space programme was for military rather than commercial purposes.

Iran said it has no intention of acquiring nuclear weapons and said its aerospace activities are peaceful and comply with a United Nations Security Council resolution.