Iran Revolutionary Guard launches satellite-carrying rocket

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has launched a new satellite-carrying rocket, state TV reported, seeking to demonstrate the force’s space prowess even as anti-government protests rage across the country. State TV on Saturday said the Guard successfully launched the solid-fueled rocket — what it called a Ghaem-100 satellite carrier. Iranian state TV did not immediately show any footage of the launch. The state-run IRNA news agency reported that the rocket would be able to put satellite weighing 80 kg (176 pounds) into orbit some 500 kilometers (310 miles) from Earth.