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Noor (also spelled Nour, Persian: نور, lit. 'Light') is a class of Iranian military Earth-imaging CubeSat. Two Noor satellites have been launched from the Shahrud Desert in Iran into low-earth orbit aboard three-stage Qased (lit. 'message') space-launch vehicles.[1]

Noor

Noor-1 is launched onboard a Qased rocket
Country of origin	Iran
Operator	IRGC
Specifications
Spacecraft type	Earth-imaging
Bus	CubeSat (6U)
Power	Solar cells, batteries
Design life	1 year
Production
Built	2
Launched	2
Operational	1
Retired	1
Maiden launch	22 April 2020
Last launch	8 March 2022

Noor-1, the first Iranian military satellite,[2][3][4] was launched on 22 April 2020 to a 425 kilometer orbit and decayed from orbit on 13 April 2022 marking a lifespan of one year, eleven months, and nine days, just past its expected one year service life.[5] Noor-1 carried a photo of former Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani and a Quranic verse about overcoming adversaries.[6]

Noor-2, the second and only operational satellite of the Noor class, was launched on 8 March 2022 (during the Sha'baniyah holiday) to a 500 kilometer orbit and continues to provide the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps with low-resolution overhead imagery.[7][8]

The Noor satellite program is a unique development for Iran as it was the first satellite to be developed and launched by the IRGC instead of the Iranian Space Agency.[6]

Reaction to launch

Iran

IRGC Commander-in-Chief General Hossein Salami remarked "Today, the world’s powerful armies do not have a comprehensive defense plan without being in space. Achieving this superior technology, which takes us into space and expands the realm of our abilities, is a strategic achievement."[6]

United States

On April 22, 2020 U.S. Department of Defense acknowledged that Iran successfully launched its first military satellite.[9]

Senior Pentagon officials called Iran's satellite launch a provocation. General John Hyten, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stressed on the Qased satellite carrier technology, saying that "when you have a missile capable of going a very long way... it means that [Iran] has the ability once again to threaten their neighbors, our allies".[10] The satellite itself, however, was dismissed by Space Force General John W. Raymond as "a tumbling webcam in space; unlikely providing intel."[7]

Then President Donald Trump said that the satellite launch is not an advancement on the Iran's missile program and the showcasing "was only for television," while the US is watching Iran very closely.[11]

France

The French Foreign Ministry condemned Iran's launch of a military satellite into orbit. Concurring with the United States' accusations that the same development would contribute to Iran's offensive ballistic missile program, the Foreign Ministry said "The Iranian ballistics program is a major concern for regional and international security. It contributes to the destabilization of the region and the rise in tensions."[12]

Russia

Russia's Ambassador to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, remarked to the international body "the ongoing attempts of the United States side to deprive Iran of the right to reap the benefits of peaceful space technology under false pretexts are a cause for serious concern and profound regret."[13]

Other

Abdel Bari Atwan, the editor-in-chief of Rai al-Youm and Al Quds Al Arabi said that "Iran's recent launched military satellite to space will change the region's equations."[14]

Controversies

External image
Doctored Google Earth image claimed by Fars as Noor imagery

On 29 July 2020, Iranian state-owned Fars News Agency published an article headlined "Al-Udeid Air Base Observed with Noor Satellite" claiming to show an overhead image of the United States' Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar "a gathering place for the CENTCOM terrorist air force" imaged by the Noor-1 satellite.[15] Online open-source commentators were quick to point out the published image was a recolored Maxar image from Google Earth, still fresh with Google's watermarks.[16][17][18]

Operation

Noor satellites circle the Earth once every 90 minutes.[6]

On 10 May 2022, Iranian Minister of Communication and Information Technology, Issa Zarepour published on his Instagram an low-resolution, true-color, overhead image of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet Base in Bahrain taken from the Noor-2 satellite.[19][20] The minister's account was banned from Instagram hours later.

Noor-class Satellites

English Name	Persian Name	Launch Date	Altitude	COSPAR	Operational Status
Noor-1	ماهواره نور ۱	22 April 2020	425 km	2020-024A[21]	Non-operational, decayed from orbit on 13 April 2022
Noor-2	ماهواره نور ۲	13 April 2022	500 km	2022-024A[21]	Operational

References

Further reading

• "Qased launches Noor satellite on YouTube". SciNews. 22 April 2020. A Qased launch vehicle launched the Noor satellite from Iran, on 22 April 2020. According to official sources, Qased (قاصد) is a “three-stage, solid-propellant launcher” and the Noor ( نور) satellite was placed in a 425-km orbit. {{cite episode}}: External link in |title= (help)

External links

• Scott Manley (26 April 2020). "Decoding Iran's New 'Qased' Rocket and the 'Noor' Satellite on YouTube". Scott Manley. {{cite episode}}: External link in |title= (help)
• Middle East Media Research Institute (22 April 2020), Iranian Report: IRGC Launches "Noor" Multipurpose Military Satellite into Orbit Using Ghasedak Satellite Carrier, MEMRI TV [Video of launch]

На других языках

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[de] Nour (Satellit)

Nour (persisch ماهواره نور, DMG Māhavāre-ye Nūr, ‚Licht‘) ist ein Aufklärungssatellit der Luft- und Raumfahrtstreitkräfte der Iranischen Revolutionsgarden. Er wurde am 22. April 2020 in einem erdnahen Orbit platziert und sollte zehn Tage später seinen Betrieb aufnehmen.[2]

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- [en] Noor (satellite)

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