Simorgh (rocket)
Simorgh, also called Safir-2, is an Iranian expendable launch vehicle. It is the successor of the Safir, Iran's first space launch vehicle. Its mission is to carry heavier satellites into higher orbit than Safir.
The project was unveiled by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on 3 February 2010, as part of celebrations of the first anniversary of the launch of Omid, the first indigenously launched Iranian satellite, and was launched for the first time on 19 April 2016.
Design
Simorgh is a two-stage liquid-fueled rocket developed from the Safir rocket. It is able to place a payload into a circular low Earth orbit. It is also the first Iranian rocket that can place multiple payloads into orbit. In comparison, the Safir was only able to place a 50 kg payload into a 250x375 km elliptic orbit.The Simorgh rocket is long, and has a launch mass of. Its first stage, with a diameter of 2.4 meters, is powered by a cluster of four synchronized Safir-1B first-stage engines with four separate turbopumps, each of these engines generating up to of thrust. The first stage also utilizes a set of four vernier engines sharing a single turbopump used for attitude control and providing an additional. At liftoff, these engines generate a total of thrust. The second stage with a diameter of 1.5 meters utilizes a set of four smaller engines similar to the two engines of Safir's second stage. These produce a total of thrust.
The Simorgh's total flight time to a 500-530km orbit is between 480 and 495 seconds. The first stage burns for about 102 seconds. Stages separation takes place at an altitude of 90 km and a velocity of 2300 m/s. The fairing shroud is ejected simultaneously with the second stage engine's ignition. The satellite is then accelerated to 7400 m/s and injected into its designated orbit.
In contrast to its predecessor Safir, the Simorgh is integrated and assembled vertically on a launch pad located at the Imam Khomeini Space Center. Each stage goes through manufacturing horizontally and is subsequently brought to the launch pad, where final assembly of the stages is completed with the aid of a custom-designed service tower.
Saman-1 is a solid-fueled orbital transfer system under development that produces of thrust and will be used as an additional upper stage in future.