Iran launch­es three satel­lites amid ris­ing ten­sions with West­ern pow­ers

Iran has launched three satellites into orbit, nearly a week after the Revolutionary Guards' launch of a research satellite drew criticism from the West. The satellites were carried by the two-stage Simorgh (Phoenix) rocket and launched into an orbit of at least 450 kilometers (280 miles) The Mahda satellite, which weighs about 32 kilograms and was developed by the Iranian Space Agency, is designed to test advanced satellite subsystems. Britain, France and Germany condemned the launch.