NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Russia launched an Iranian satellite into space on Tuesday, just weeks after Moscow announced plans to abandon the International Space Station over the next two years.
The launch, which took off from the Baikonur launch vehicle in Kazakhstan, put the Khayyam satellite into orbit.
Iran claims the satellite, named after a 12th-century Persian scientist, will be used to improve agricultural productivity, but fears have been raised that Russia could use it to monitor Ukraine and Tehran to monitor Israel.
In this handout photo from video released by Roscosmos on Tuesday, August 9, 2022, a Russian Soyuz rocket lifts off to launch Iran’s Khayyam satellite into orbit at the Russian-leased Baikonur Cosmodrome near Baikonur, Kazakhstan. to transport. (Rokosmos via AP)
Two Western security officials told the Washington Post last week that Moscow had told Iran it would use the satellite’s high-resolution camera to monitor military targets in Ukraine for “several months.”
PRESIDENT BIDEN’S NEW WEAPONS PACKAGE FOR UKRAINE IS LARGEST YET, SAYS PENTAGON
The satellite will eventually give Iran “unprecedented capabilities” to monitor sensitive facilities in Israel and other parts of the Middle East, the official told the newspaper.
The launch also comes as space cooperation between Russia and the West collapses amid Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
In this Dec. 6, 2021 file photo provided by NASA, the International Space Station orbited 264 miles above the Tyrrhenian Sea with the Soyuz MS-19 crew ship docked with the Rassvet module and the Prichal module, still with the Progress Transport ship was docked to the Nauka multi-purpose module. (NASA via AP, file)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Yuri Borisov, the recently appointed head of Russia’s state space company Roskosmos, said last month that Russia would be leaving the International Space Station in the next two years.
“The decision to leave the station after 2024 has been made,” Borisov said in late July, noting that Russia will fulfill its partner commitments before leaving.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Paul Best is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @KincaidBest.