Comments on: Iran and China complete orbital launches

By: pzatchok

pzatchok — Sat, 09 Dec 2023 17:18:24 +0000

No one seems to have confirmed it yet but this sight hints that Iran does not yet have any recovery systems available for any space craft. No heat shields or parachutes capable of bring an orbital vehicle back safe.

https://www.space.com/iran-bio-capsule-rocket-launch

By: pzatchok

pzatchok — Sat, 09 Dec 2023 03:54:49 +0000

They could have used a Qased rocket but those are three stages using both liquid and solid fuel sections.

But they look quite a bit different than what is in the picture.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qased_(rocket)

By: Robert Zimmerman

Robert Zimmerman — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 19:41:22 +0000

In reply to pzatchok. pzatchok: What I have not been able to determine is whether it made orbit, even if that orbit was low (80 miles) and would decay relatively rapidly. If it did then this was an orbital launch. If not, then I must remove it from my count. I have been searching for some indication one way or the other, but have not found it. Anyone out there know more?

By: pzatchok

pzatchok — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 19:32:59 +0000

By reducing the Shehab-3 cargo down to 500 kg from 1200kg it might give it a way for a soft parachute recovery system and an added larger diameter adapter.

Its all for show as far as I am concerned.

By: pzatchok

pzatchok — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 19:21:04 +0000

That is not a Salman solid rocket in the picture.

By all the details in the picture that is a Shahab-3. The fins match, the body match, the engines match, and that does not look like solid fuel exhaust.
That red line up the side is just painted black on a regular Shahab-3.

Its just a bulky capsule adapter on top. Like the falcon9 and others use.

By: Questioner

Questioner — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 07:35:15 +0000

To my knowledge, Iran does not have a launch vehicle to carry 500 kg to orbit. I believe this was only a suborbital flight, as indicated by the stated summit altitude of 130 km. There is no stable orbit at this altitude. It is therefore very likely that the author of the original article is wrong (note to Mr. Zimmerman!). According to my research, there is no Iranian orbital rocket named Salman either. As others have pointed out, a second stage has this name.

By: Jeff Wright

Jeff Wright — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 05:02:57 +0000

What I worry about is a simple gun-type warhead with chaff, a warhead of stealth facets and a proximity fuse.

Israeli incoming might hit the shroud, or trigger a proximity fuse…Iran settling for an EMP strike.

By: David Eastman

David Eastman — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 00:15:21 +0000

Salman is the second stage of the Qased rocket. I can’t find a good diagram, and the image above is different from the image shown for the original Noor satellite launch, so it’s impossible to say for sure how it works. But that payload fairing is substantially larger than the previous version, so I assume the second (and possibly third) stages are inside the fairing. It’s also possible that what looks like a fairing is actually the second stage, note the horizontal black line, it could be that below that is the upper stage, and the payload is just in the cone at the top.

By: pzatchok

pzatchok — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 23:28:25 +0000

It just looks like a Shahab-3 with a modified cargo capsule.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahab-3

Which can reach Israel, but………

https://breakingdefense.com/2023/10/in-first-israels-arrow-air-defense-system-intercepts-ballistic-missile-near-red-sea-idf/