Qased (rocket)

Qased
Has use	Small-lift space launch vehicle
Country of origin	Iran
Size
Stages	3
Capacity
Payload to LEO; (500 km)
Mass	10 ~ 50 kg
Launch history
Status	Active
Total launches	1
Success(es)	1
Failure(s)	0
First flight	22 April 2020
Last flight	22 April 2020
First stage
Diameter	1.25 m
Powered by	Ghadr
Maximum thrust	~ 30,000 kilograms-force (290,000 N; 66,000 lbf)
Burn time	103 seconds
Propellant	UDMH/N2O4
Second stage
Diameter	1 m
Powered by	Salman
Burn time	60 seconds
Propellant	solid
Third stage
Diameter	1 m
Powered by	Saman-1
Burn time	40 seconds
Propellant	solid

The Qased (also Ghased, Persian: قاصد, lit. 'messenger') rocket is an Iranian expendable small-capacity orbital space launch vehicle. It made its maiden flight in 2020, lofting Iran's first military satellite named Noor (Persian: نور, lit. 'light') into orbit.^[3]^[4]^[5]

Design[]

Qased's first stage is propelled by a Ghadr medium range ballistic missile with a diameter of 1.25 meters (4 ft 1 in), burning UDMH and N₂O₄ for 103 seconds and an approximate thrust of 30,000 kilograms-force (290 kN; 66,000 lbf), although Qased's application of the Ghadr as its first stage is limited to the first launch and subsequent launches are to utilize a solid fueled first stage. The 1 meter (3 ft 3 in) diameter second stage is the solid fueled Salman with thrust vectoring capability, a lightweight carbon fiber casing, and a burn time of 60 seconds. there has been no official confirmation of the third stage, however it's likely to be the Solid fuel Saman-1 apogee kick motor with a burn time of 40 seconds.^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9]

Strategic Implications[]

The launcher is notable as it is operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace force rather than the Iranian Space Agency and is small enough to be launched from a transporter erector launcher.^[2] The launch unveiled a full-blown parallel military space program separate from the ISA , with separate development paths and solid fueled launch vehicles, as opposed to the ISA's liquid fueled rockets.^[6]^[7]

In terms of the Noor satellite itself, the launch does not fundamentally change the security equations in the middles east, however the unveiling of the IRGC space program and its emphasis towards solid fueled launch vehicles (which are more military viable than Iran's previous liquid fueled launchers like the simorgh) might indicate Iran's hedging strategy to acquire ICBM technology without the security reprecusions of openly attempting to do so.^[10]

Launch History[]

Flight No.	Date & Time (UTC)	Payload	Type	Outcome	Remarks
1	22 April 2020, 04:00	Noor satellite		Success	444 x 426 km orbit, 59.8 degree inclination^[2]

Gallery[]

Qased during preparations on the launch pad
Qased lifting off

External links[]

Scott Manley (26 April 2020). "Decoding Iran's New 'Qased' Rocket and the 'Noor' Satellite on YouTube". Scott Manley. {{cite episode}}: External link in |title= (help)
First launch video - "Qased launches Noor satellite on YouTube". SciNews. 22 April 2020. A Qased launch vehicle launched the Noor satellite from Iran, on 22 April 2020. According to official sources, Qased (قاصد) is a “three-stage, solid-propellant launcher” and the Noor ( نور) satellite was placed in a 425-km orbit. {{cite episode}}: External link in |title= (help)

References[]

^ Borger, Julian (2020-04-22). "Iran reportedly launches first military satellite as Trump makes threats". The Guardian. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
^ ^a ^b ^c David Todd (2020-04-22). "Iran launches new Qased rocket type with Noor military sat aboard". SpaceTrak. Seradata. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
^ Stephen Clark (2020-04-22). "Iran places military satellite in orbit". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
^ Loren Grush (2020-04-22). "Iran claims it has successfully launched a military satellite". The Verge. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
^ "Iran launches its first military satellite". Al Jazeera. 2020-04-22. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
^ ^a ^b "The IRGC gets into the space-launch business". IISS. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
^ ^a ^b "Have Iran's space ambitions taken a worrisome new turn?". www.europeanleadershipnetwork.org. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
^ "Qased". www.b14643.de. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
^ Hitchens, Theresa (2020-06-29). "New Iranian Missile Could Strike Central Europe: Analysis". Breaking Defense. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
^ Sheldon, John (2020-05-12). "#SpaceWatchGL Perspectives On Iran's Satellite Launch: Fabian Hinz On The Qased Satellite Launch Vehicle". SpaceWatch.Global. Retrieved 2021-07-23.

[guardian-20200422-1] Borger, Julian (2020-04-22). "Iran reportedly launches first military satellite as Trump makes threats". The Guardian. Retrieved 2020-04-28.

[seradata-20200422-2] David Todd (2020-04-22). "Iran launches new Qased rocket type with Noor military sat aboard". SpaceTrak. Seradata. Retrieved 2020-04-28.

[SpaceFlightNow-20200422-3] Stephen Clark (2020-04-22). "Iran places military satellite in orbit". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 2020-04-28.

[Verge-20200422-4] Loren Grush (2020-04-22). "Iran claims it has successfully launched a military satellite". The Verge. Retrieved 2020-04-28.

[AJE-20200422-5] "Iran launches its first military satellite". Al Jazeera. 2020-04-22. Retrieved 2020-04-28.

[:0-6] "The IRGC gets into the space-launch business". IISS. Retrieved 2021-07-23.

[:1-7] "Have Iran's space ambitions taken a worrisome new turn?". www.europeanleadershipnetwork.org. Retrieved 2021-07-23.

[8] "Qased". www.b14643.de. Retrieved 2021-07-23.

[9] Hitchens, Theresa (2020-06-29). "New Iranian Missile Could Strike Central Europe: Analysis". Breaking Defense. Retrieved 2021-07-23.

[10] Sheldon, John (2020-05-12). "#SpaceWatchGL Perspectives On Iran's Satellite Launch: Fabian Hinz On The Qased Satellite Launch Vehicle". SpaceWatch.Global. Retrieved 2021-07-23.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

v t Orbital launch systems
List of orbital launch systems Comparison of orbital launch systems
Current	Angara A5 Antares 230+ Ariane 5 Atlas V Ceres-1 Delta IV Heavy Electron Epsilon Falcon 9 Block 5 Falcon Heavy Firefly Alpha^† GSLV Mk II Mk III H-IIA Hyperbola-1 Jielong 1 Kuaizhou 1 1A 11^† Kaituozhe 2 LauncherOne Long March 2C 2D 2F 3A 3B/E 3C 4B 4C 5 5B 6 7 7A 8 11 Minotaur I IV V C Nuri^† OS-M1^† Pegasus XL Proton-M PSLV Qased Rocket 3 Shavit 2 Simorgh^† Soyuz-2 2.1a / STA 2.1b / STB 2-1v Unha Vega Zenit 3SL 3SLB 3F Zhuque-1^†
In development	Amur Angara 1.2 Ariane 6 Bloostar Cyclone-4M Eris Firefly Beta H3 Hyperbola-2 Irtysh Kuaizhou 21 31 Long March 921 rocket 9 Miura 5 Neutron New Glenn New Line 1 OS-M 2 4 Orbex Prime Red Dwarf SLS Block 1 Block 1B Block 2 Soyuz-7 SSLV Starship Terran 1 R Vega C E Vulcan Zero Zhuque-2 Zuljanah
Retired	Antares 110 120 130^† 230 Ariane 1 2 3 4 ASLV Athena I II Atlas B D E/F G H I II III LV-3B SLV-3 Able Agena Centaur Black Arrow Conestoga^† Delta A B C D E G J L M N 0100 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 II III IV Diamant Dnepr Energia Europa^† Falcon 1 Falcon 9 v1.0 v1.1 v1.2 "Full Thrust" Feng Bao 1 GSLV Mk I H-I H-II H-IIB Juno I Juno II Kaituozhe-1 Kosmos 1 2I 3 3M Lambda 4S Long March 1 1D^† 2A 2E 3 3B 4A Mu 4S 3C 3H 3S 3SII V N1^† N-I N-II Naro-1 Paektusan^† Pilot-2^† R-7 Luna Molniya M L Polyot Soyuz original FG L M U U2 Soyuz/Vostok Sputnik Voskhod Vostok L K 2 2M R-29 Shtil' Volna^† Safir 1 1A 1B Saturn I IB V Scout Shavit original Shavit 1 SLV Space Shuttle SPARK^† Sparta SS-520 Start-1 Thor Able Ablestar Agena Burner Delta DSV-2U Thorad-Agena Titan II GLV IIIA IIIB IIIC IIID IIIE 34D 23G CT-3 IV Tsyklon original 2 3 Universal Rocket UR-500 Proton Proton-K Rokot Strela Vanguard VLS-1^† Zenit 2 2M
Classes	Sounding rocket Small-lift launch vehicle Medium-lift launch vehicle Heavy-lift launch vehicle Super heavy-lift launch vehicle
This Template lists historical, current, and future space rockets that at least once attempted (but not necessarily succeeded in) an orbital launch or that are planned to attempt such a launch in the future Symbol ^† indicates past or current rockets that attempted orbital launches but never succeeded (never did or has yet to perform a successful orbital launch)