Iran announced that it sent three satellites into space simultaneously, for the first time using the two-stage Simorgh (Phoenix) launch vehicle. The launch took place on Sunday, January 28, from the Imam Khomeini Cosmodrome in Semnan province in northern Iran.

According to the Iranian Government Information Council Secretariat, the Mahda satellite weighing 32 kg and two nanosatellites Kayhan-2 and Hatef-1 weighing less than 10 kg were delivered to 450 km high orbit. The Mahda apparatus, created by the Iranian Space Research Center, was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a launch vehicle when delivering cargo into orbit. The two nanosatellites are designed to test narrowband communications systems and geolocation systems. Iran’s Minister of Information and Communications Technologies, Isa Zarepour, said that Mahda was already sending signals to the Earth.

The launch is Iran’s second this month. According to Reuters, Iran launched the Soraya satellite on January 20 to an altitude of 750 km, the highest orbit the country has ever reached. The Soraya satellite, weighing approximately 50 kg, was launched into space with the three-stage Qaem 100 launch vehicle with solid fuel engines.

The liquid-fueled Simorgh rocket is designed to launch cargo satellites into low Earth orbit. According to reports, five launches of the Simorgh launch vehicle have failed.