What is Noor-3 Satellite?

About Noor-3 Satellite

• It is an imaging satellite developed by Iran.
• It is a satellite with potential spying capabilities, boosting Iran’s abilities in space.
• It has been put in an orbit 450 kilometers (280 miles) above the Earth's surface.
• It was launched by the three-stage Qased, or messenger carrier.
• The spacecraft's two predecessors, Noor-1 and Noor-2, launched in April 2020 and March 2022, respectively, also atop Qased rockets.
• Noor-1 fell back to Earth in April 2022, but Noor-2 remains operational and may work in concert with Noor 3 when the latter satellite comes online.
• Who carried out the launch?
  • The launch was carried out by the aerospace arm of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
  • The Guard operates its own space program parallel to Iran's regular armed forces and answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
  • It launched its first satellite into space in April 2020 (Noor-1). 

Q1) What is an imaging satellite?

An imaging satellite is a type of satellite designed and equipped with instruments or sensors capable of capturing images of the Earth's surface or celestial objects from space. These satellites are used for various purposes, including remote sensing, Earth observation, scientific research, and military reconnaissance.

Source: Iran claims launch of imaging satellite Noor-3 into orbit 450km above Earth's surface