Tasnim � Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Major General Hossein Salami said a multipurpose satellite that was launched into orbit on Wednesday is a great jump forward for the IRGC�s intelligence capabilities.

In comments after the launch of Iran�s first-ever military satellite �Noor� into an earth orbit, Major General Salami said the successful launch of the multipurpose satellite would elevate the country�s defense power.

It is necessary for a powerful defense force like the IRGC to acquire space technologies, the general noted, saying strong armies in the contemporary era would lack a comprehensive defense plan without reaching the space.

�The acquisition of this raising technology that sends us to space and enhances the domain of our capabilities is a strategic achievement,� he stressed.

Major General Salami said the IRGC has made a great stride in promoting the scope of strategic intelligence capabilities. �Today, we can observe the world from the space, which means the expansion of the strategic data of the IRGC�s mighty defense power.�

The commander also noted that the homegrown multipurpose satellite is generating �strategic added value� for Iran both in the information technology sphere and in information warfare.

The IRGC successfully put Noor (light) into orbit on Wednesday morning. The homegrown satellite was launched with a three-stage satellite carrier, dubbed Qassed (messenger), from a launch pad in Dasht-e Kavir, a large desert in central Iran.

The satellite has been placed into an orbit 425 kilometers above the Earth.