The Saman-1 ( fa, سامان-۱) is a

space tug ''Space Tug'' is a young adult science fiction novel by author Murray Leinster. It was published in 1953 by Shasta Publishers in an edition of 5,000 copies. It is the second novel in the author's Joe Kenmore series. Groff Conklin gave it a mi ...

in development by the

Iranian Space Research Center The Iranian Space Research Center (ISRC, Persian: ''Pazhoheshgah e Fazái e Irán'') is a research center established by Iran's Ministry of Science, Research and Technology (Iran) in 2000 under the name Iran Aerospace Research Center to perform ...

to be used to transfer satellites from a 400 km orbit to higher orbits. The system was unveiled on February 1, 2017, by Iranian president

Hassan Rouhani Hassan Rouhani ( fa, حسن روحانی, Standard Persian pronunciation: ; born Hassan Fereydoun ( fa, حسن فریدون, links=no); 12 November 1948) is an Iranian politician who served as the seventh president of Iran from 2013 to 2021. ...

in a ceremony marking the Iranian national space technology day. It could be used as a third stage/ kick-motor on the Simorgh

launch vehicle A launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a rocket designed to carry a payload (spacecraft or satellites) from the Earth's surface to outer space. Most launch vehicles operate from a launch pads, supported by a launch control center and syste ...

. Although very little information has been publicly revealed about the

Qased Qased (also Ghased; fa, قاصد , , Messenger ) is a 2000-pound (900 kg) Iranian developed smart bomb. Guidance Qased is a guided precision weapon, but it is not clear whether it is laser-guided or TV-guided. TV footage of its test-fire ...

launch vehicle's solid fueled third stage, analysts have concluded that it may uses the Saman-1 as its third stage or something similar.

Design

The saman-1 utilizes an Arash-24

solid fuel Solid fuel refers to various forms of solid material that can be burnt to release energy, providing heat and light through the process of combustion. Solid fuels can be contrasted with liquid fuels and gaseous fuels. Common examples of solid fuel ...

motor as its main propulsion unit, producing 1.3 tons of thrust with a burn time of 40 seconds and a total mass of 240 kg fully fueled and 55 kg when empty. Saman-1 is capable of transferring satellites from a 400 km orbit to a 7,000 km orbit. For its first mission it will be tasked with lifting a 100 kilogram satellite from a 400 kilometer circular

parking orbit A parking orbit is a temporary orbit used during the launch of a spacecraft. A launch vehicle boosts into the parking orbit, then coasts for a while, then fires again to enter the final desired trajectory. The alternative to a parking orbit is ''di ...

to an

elliptical orbit In astrodynamics or celestial mechanics, an elliptic orbit or elliptical orbit is a Kepler orbit with an eccentricity of less than 1; this includes the special case of a circular orbit, with eccentricity equal to 0. In a stricter sense, i ...

with an

apogee An apsis (; ) is the farthest or nearest point in the orbit of a planetary body about its primary body. For example, the apsides of the Earth are called the aphelion and perihelion. General description There are two apsides in any el ...

of 700 kilometers and a

perigee An apsis (; ) is the farthest or nearest point in the orbit of a planetary body about its primary body. For example, the apsides of the Earth are called the aphelion and perihelion. General description There are two apsides in any ell ...

of 400 kilometers. After the first and second stage burn are done the launch vehicle releases the payload and the Saman-1 third stage into a

, then the Saman-1 becomes responsible for stabilization and elimination of vibrations after release and finally the accurate injection of its payload into its target orbit. Several new sub-systems were designed and manufactured for the Saman-1, these include: a complete and independent navigation and control system, a solid-fueled propulsion system (made out of titanium to reduce weight), cold gas thrusters, a power system, and a flight computer.

Future versions

Saman-2 will be able to transfer satellites from a 400 km orbit (

LEO Leo or Léo may refer to: Acronyms * Law enforcement officer * Law enforcement organisation * ''Louisville Eccentric Observer'', a free weekly newspaper in Louisville, Kentucky * Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity Arts an ...

) to a 10,000 km orbit; Saman-3 up to 21,000 km; Saman-4 up to 36,000 km ( geostationary and

geosynchronous orbit A geosynchronous orbit (sometimes abbreviated GSO) is an Earth-centered orbit with an orbital period that matches Earth's rotation on its axis, 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds (one sidereal day). The synchronization of rotation and orbit ...

s).

History

Saman-1 development began in 2015. The first prototype was unveiled on February 1, 2017, by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...

. The second prototype was being tested in December 2018. In December 2019, the first sample of the Arash motor was tested successfully in vacuum conditions. A suborbital test flight of Saman-1 occurred in June 2021 and was reported to be successful. A second successful suborbital test took place on 3 October 2022. Operational test flight of the system is planned for 2022–2023.

Gallery

File:Saman-1.jpg, Saman-1 on display at an exhibition

References

{{reflist Rocket stages Solid-fuel rockets

Design

Future versions

History

Gallery

See also

References