Iran Tests Satellite Launch Vehicle for First Time Since War With Israel

Latest Developments

Iran Tests Satellite Carrier Rocket: Iran conducted a test of a space launch vehicle (SLV) on July 21 for the first time since the 12-Day War with Israel in June, launching its Qased satellite carrier rocket in a suborbital flight. Iran’s state-affiliated Tasnim news agency reported that the test will be “used to improve the performance of the country’s satellites and space systems.” In September 2024, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Aerospace Force (IRGC-AF) launched a satellite into space using a Qaem-100 solid-fuel rocket.
Qased Combines Solid and Liquid Fuel: First launched by the IRGC-AF in April 2020, the Qased, meaning “messenger” in Farsi, is a three-stage rocket that uses liquid fuel in the first stage and solid propellant for its second and third stages. Iranian SLV launches have long concerned the United States due to the rocket’s technology providing a potential pathway to fielding an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which could be used in the future by the Islamic Republic to deliver a nuclear weapon.
Iran Waged War With Ballistic Missiles: Iran launched approximately 550 ballistic missiles toward Israel and over a dozen at the American Al Udeid Base in Qatar during the 12-Day War. Following Operation Rising Lion, the IDF claimed that it had destroyed around half of Iran’s ballistic missile stockpile, two-thirds of its missile launchers, and core missile production facilities.

FDD Expert Response

“Iran’s space launch vehicle program is not a harmless science project. Increased ability to put systems in space will strengthen the regime’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities for offensive and defensive operations, as well as provide a potential pathway to field an intercontinental ballistic missile. There is only one reason Iran would want an ICBM and that is to have the capability to strike the United States.” — Bradley Bowman, Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power

“Iran’s latest SLV test is proof positive that after the 12-Day War, its calculus has not changed. The Islamic Republic remains committed to using its space program to mask its quest for longer-range strategic weapons that get around its self-imposed 2,000-kilometer range cap and can eventually threaten Europe and the U.S. homeland.” — Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow

“This latest test confirms that Tehran remains committed to rebuilding and expanding its missile program, as repeatedly emphasized by regime officials. To safeguard U.S. national interests, Washington and its allies should adopt a dual-track approach: kinetic operations to degrade the program’s infrastructure and capabilities and intensified economic pressure to deny the regime the financial resources necessary for its advancement.” — Saeed Ghasseminejad, Senior Iran and Financial Economics Advisor

“The Islamic Republic brandishing its missile capabilities serves both as a message of defiance to foreign adversaries and as a tool for regime consolidation at home. As Western governments weigh the potential reimposition of UN sanctions under the snapback mechanism, Tehran’s display is directed at Washington, European powers, and Israel. Simultaneously, amid growing fears of domestic unrest and an increasingly fragile hold on power, the regime seeks to project strength to reassure its support base both in Iran and abroad.” — Janatan Sayeh, Research Analyst