Iran launched a probe on Saturday satellitewhich he launched into orbit with a rocket built by Guards of the Revolutionstate media reported.

The launch comes as the United States and European countries accuse Iran of transporting ballistic missiles to Russia that are likely to be used in the war with Ukraine in the coming weeks, which Iran denies.

The Chamran-1 satellite, which was launched into space by the Qaem-100 satellite carrier, has been put into a 550-kilometer orbit and has sent its first signals, media reported, adding that the solid-fuel carrier was designed and built by the Aerospace Force of the Revolutionary Guards.

The main mission of the satellite, which weighs 60 kilograms, “is to test hardware and software systems to demonstrate altitude and phase orbital maneuvering technology,” according to state media.

In January, Iranian media reported that the Sorayya satellite had been launched into an orbit of 750 kilometers, the highest for an Iranian satellite so far.

The US military estimates that the long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit could also allow Tehran to launch long-range weapons, including nuclear warheads.

Tehran denies its satellite activities are a cover for ballistic missile development and says it has never sought to develop nuclear weapons.

Chamran-1’s other mission is to “evaluate the cold gas propulsion subsystem in the space systems and the performance of the navigation and attitude control subsystems,” state media said.

Iran, which has one of the largest missile programs in the Middle East, has had several failed satellite launches in recent years due to technical problems.