Zuljanah (rocket)
Iranian small-lift launch vehicle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zuljanah (Persian: ماهوارهبر ذوالجناح), also spelled Zoljanah (and with a host of other spellings appearing sporadically), is an Iranian Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV),[5][6][7] made by the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics (Iran), which was unveiled on 1 February 2021, and was launched (at an unknown time before 1 February 2021, possibly 31 January 2021) into sub-orbital flight (apogee 500km) for testing and telemetry purposes.[8][9][10] Zuljanah is able to carry satellites weighing up to 220kg into an orbit 500 kilometers above the Earth.[11][12][13]
Zuljanah Satellite Launch Vehicle | |
| Manufacturer | Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics (Iran) |
|---|---|
| Country of origin |  Iran[1][2][3][4] |
| Size | |
| Height | 25.5 meters |
| Diameter | 1.5 meters |
| Mass | 52 tons |
| Stages | 3 (1st & 2nd Solid; 3rd Liquid) |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to low Earth orbit | |
| Mass | 220 kg (490 lb) |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Under Development |
| Launch sites | Semnan Space Center |
| Total launches | 0 (+2 suborbital) |
| Success(es) | 0 (+2 suborbital) |
| Failure | 1 |
| First stage | |
| Powered by | 1 × unnamed solid fuel engine |
| Maximum thrust | 725 kN (163,000 lbf) |
| Propellant | solid |
| Second stage | |
| Powered by | 1 × unnamed solid fuel engine |
| Maximum thrust | 725 kN (163,000 lbf) |
| Propellant | solid |
| Third stage | |
| Powered by | 2 × LRE-4 (R-27 Zyb vernier engines) |
| Maximum thrust | 35 kN (7,900 lbf) |
| Propellant | N2O4 / UDMH |
According to Seyed Ahmad Husseini, the space spokesman of the Ministry of Defense: The Zuljanah SLV is part of a larger project called "Hazrat Fatemeh Al-Zahra" (Persian: حضرت فاطمه الزهراء). This SLV is considered to be the first indigenously designed and manufactured "hybrid" fuel satellite launch vehicle (solid/liquid fuel).[14][15][16][17] As of June 2022, two more test flights are planned.[18]
Design
Zuljanah measures 25.5 meters (84ft) in length and has a mass of 52 tons (115,000lbs). The first and second stages utilize an identical 1.5m diameter solid-fuel engine with 74 tons (725 kN; 163,000 lbf) of thrust and a Safir type 1.25m diameter liquid-fuel (UDMH /N2O4) engine with a thrust of 3.5 tons (35 kN; 7,800 lbf) as a third stage. Zuljanah is capable of carrying a single satellite weighing up to 220kg or a constellation of ten smaller 20kg cubesats to Low-Earth Orbit.[19][20][9][10]
Zuljanah is the third civilian Satellite Launch Vehicle made in Iran, after the Safir and Simorgh. It is road-mobile, requires very little fueling time, and can be launched by Transporter-Erector Launchers (TELs), raising alarms from US and EU European defense analysts about its possible covert nature as Iran's first IRBM.[21][22]
Launch history
| Flight No. | Date & Time (UTC) | Payload | Outcome | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 January 2021 | Unknown; may be boilerplate | Success | First sub-orbital test flight |
| 2 | 26 June 2022 | Unknown | Success | Second sub-orbital test flight |
| 3 | 18 September 2025 15:00[23][24] |
Unknown | Launch Failure | Possibly first orbital launch attempt or third sub-orbital test flight |
Gallery
Zuljanah being held by the servicing tower
Zuljanah lifting off from the launch pad
Zuljanah in flight
See also
Other Iranian satellite launch vehicles