Salman (rocket stage)

The Salman (Persian: سلمان) is a solid-fuel rocket stage designed and built by the IRGC Aerospace Force (IRGCASF) and used as the second stage of the Qased satellite launch vehicle. The system was announced on 9 February 2020, and was launched for the first time on 22 April 2020, placing Iran's first military satellite, named Noor, into orbit.[1][2][3]

Salman upper-stage
ManufacturerIRGCASF
Country of origin Iran
Used onQased
General characteristics
Diameter1 m (3 ft 3 in)
Gross mass1,900 kg (4,200 lb)
Associated stages
ComparableStar 48 , Castor 30
Launch history
StatusActive
Total launches2
Successes
(stage only)		2
Failed0
First flight22 April 2020
Salman upper-stage
Burn time60 seconds
PropellantSolid

Design

Salman weighs 1900 kilograms, has a diameter of 1 meter, and fires for 60 seconds. In contrast to previous Iranian commercial and military rocket designs, Salman has a wound carbon-fiber composite casing rather than the traditional steel motor casings typical of other Iranian designs, this drastically reduces weight and improves performance, allowing for more payload capacity.

Another break with past Iranian designs is the first ever use of gimballed thrust vector control (TVC) for steering as opposed to aerodynamic control surfaces, jet vanes, or vernier thrusters previously used.[1][4][5] A steerable nozzle provides several advantages to Salman as opposed to other methods that result in its superior performance and efficiency; as opposed to jet vanes, no thrust is lost in a gimballed system when steering; control surfaces only work in endo-atmospheric flight and cannot be used for injecting satellites or atmospheric re-entry; vernier thrusters and their associated piping, turbopumps, tanks etc... are heavy and their omission could make way for a larger payload.[6]

Launch History
Flight No. Date Payload Outcome Remarks
1 22 April 2020 Noor Success Iran's first military reconnaissance satellite[7]
2 8 March 2022 Noor 2 Success

See also

References
  1. "Salman TVC rocket motor". b14643.de. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  2. AFP. "Iran unveils ballistic missile, 'new generation' engines". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  3. Sheldon, John (2020-05-12). "#SpaceWatchGL Perspectives On Iran's Satellite Launch: Fabian Hinz On The Qased Satellite Launch Vehicle". SpaceWatch.Global. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  4. "Iran's solid-propellant SLV program is alive and kicking". armscontrolwonk.com. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  5. "The IRGC gets into the space-launch business". IISS. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  6. "گزارش تسنیم از موتور فضایی "سلمان"|درگیری با اهداف مهاجم خارج از جو زمین/ گام مهم سپاه برای ساخت سلاح ضدماهواره جاسوسی- اخبار نظامی | دف - اخبار سیاسی تسنیم | Tasnim". خبرگزاری تسنیم | Tasnim (in Persian). Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  7. "Iran launches its first military satellite". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.