Qased (rocket)
The Qased (also Ghased, ) 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 () into orbit. Design. Qased's first stage is propelled by a Ghadr medium range ballistic missile with a diameter of , burning UDMH and NO for 103 seconds and an approximate thrust of , 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 diameter second stage is the solid fueled  Salman with thrust vectoring capability, a lightweight carbon fiber casing, and a burn time of 60 seconds. The third stage is 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 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace 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 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.