Noor (satellite)

Noor
Qased rocket carrying Noor-1 taking off
Noor-1 is launched on board a Qased rocket
Country of origin Iran
OperatorIRGC
Specifications
Spacecraft typeEarth-imaging
BusCubeSat (6U)
PowerSolar cells, batteries
Design life1 year
Production
Built3
Launched3
Operational2
Retired1
Maiden launch22 April 2020
Last launch27 September 2023

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

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 satellite of the Noor class, was launched on 8 March 2022 (during the Sha'baniyah holiday) to a 500 kilometer orbit. It has a resolution of 12 to 15 meters, a weight of 17 kg, a swath width of 25 km and 6 passes. Noor-2 continues to provide the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps with low-resolution overhead imagery.[7][8]

Noor-3, also called Najm is the third satellite of the Noor class, was launched on a Qassed launcher on 27 September 2023 to a 450 kilometer orbit. It has a weight of 24 kg with a resolution of 6 to 4.8 meters.

According to the Space Commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, the Noor 3 satellite was stabilized in 1.5 hours and the process it took in the Noor 1 satellite was done automatically in 1 hour in the Noor 3 satellite.The camera used in Noor 3 satellite has up to 2.5 times better photo accuracy than Noor 2. He also added, "In the field of defense, we can use the satellite system for intelligence elites, command and control, and for guiding guided equipment".[9]

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]

  1. ^ Global News (22 April 2020). "Iran's Revolutionary Guards say it launched country's first military satellite into orbit". Corus.
  2. ^ Noor satellite, world reactions iribnews.ir Retrieved 22 April 2020
  3. ^ IRGC mentioned about the first successful launching of military satellite bbc.com Retrieved 22 April 2020
  4. ^ Iran's Guards say launched first military satellite into orbit reuters.com Retrieved 22 April 2020
  5. ^ "NOUR 01". N2YO.com. 13 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  6. ^ a b Dareini, Ali Akbar (7 May 2022). "Into Orbit: Iran's Nour 1 Satellite and the Two-Wing Doctrine". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Borger, Julian (22 April 2020). "Iran reportedly launches first military satellite as Trump makes threats". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  9. ^ Baha, Christian (2023-09-27). "Tehran launches its third military satellite into orbit". baha breaking news. Vienna. Retrieved 2023-09-27.