Qased (rocket)

The Qased rocket is an Iranian expendable small-lift orbital space launch vehicle. It made its maiden flight in 2020, lofting Iran's first military satellite named Noor into orbit.

Design

Qased is a three-stage rocket. Its first stage is propelled by a Ghadr medium range ballistic missile with a diameter of, burning UDMH and N₂O₄ for 103 seconds and an approximate thrust of. However, Qased's application of the proven Ghadr as its first stage is limited to the first launches, and subsequent launches are to utilize a solid-fueled first stage. The diameter second stage is the solid fueled Salman with a lightweight carbon fiber composite casing, a flexible nozzle with thrust vectoring capability, and a burn time of 60 seconds. The third stage was erroneously believed to be a Saman-1 upper stage with an Arash-24 solid fuel motor with a burn time of 40 seconds.

Strategic implications

The launcher is notable as it is operated by the IRGC Air Force rather than the Iranian Space Agency and is small enough to be launched from a transporter erector launcher. 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.
In terms of the Noor satellite itself, the launch does not fundamentally change the security equations in the Middle East; however, the unveiling of the IRGC space program and its emphasis towards solid fueled launch vehicles might indicate Iran's hedging strategy to acquire ICBM technology without the security repercussions of openly attempting to do so.

Launch history

Flight No.	Date & time	Payload	Type	Outcome	Remarks
1	22 April 2020, 04:00	Noor	Reconnaissance Satellite		444 x 426 km orbit, 59.8 degree inclination
2	8 March 2022, 05:06	Noor 2	Reconnaissance Satellite		495 x 513 km orbit, 58.3 degree inclination
3	27 September 2023, 06:00	Noor 3	Reconnaissance Satellite		442 x 456 km orbit, 60.0 degree inclination