An Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Zoljanah (also known as Zuljanah) rocket was launched from the Semnan launch site in Iran at about 1500 GMT on 18 September, it is believed. The event, thought to be an orbital attempt, marked the third launch of the Zoljanah launch vehicle – the first two were successful suborbital test flights.
Analysis by Fabian Hinz (@fab_hinz) / X , a specialist observer on missiles and rocketry in the Middle East, noted that new scorch marks on the launch pad indicated that a launch took place between 15-19 September. Video footage of the launch (via Fabian Hinz/X) showed a clean lift–off using a large solid rocket stage and a traditional smoky exhaust trail. However, this then trailed off to become intermittent blips at about 10 km altitude, suggesting a possible fault with the nozzle or a stuttering combustion issue with the engine itself. It then returned to a more typical plume albeit with the trajectory downwards, thus failing to orbit.
Zoljanah-1 launch failure: Intermittent blips in its first stage exhaust indicated that all was not well in its burn. Courtesy: X/Fabian Hinz
Zoljanah-1 is a three-stage rocket measuring 25.5 m long with a 1.5 m wide diameter.
The first two stages of the vehicle are based on the solid rocket stages of Sejil ballistic missile. The liquid fuel upper stage is believed to be derived from the Safir launch vehicle series and its orbital payload capability to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is believed to be 220 kg. The satellite launcher is thought to be a dual–use vehicle operated by the IRGC. This means that, in theory, it can be modified into a long–range ballistic missile with a range of over 5,000 km. This, in effect, gets around the restrictions limiting Iran to ballistic missiles of under 2,000 km range.
A satellite image of scorch marks indicated that a launch took place from Semnan during September. Courtesy: Planet Labs
After the launch was seen in Iran Noghte Zan, an IRGC-linked media outlet, confirmed the Zoljanah SLV test by the Ministry of Defense from the Semnan Base, according to Iranian expert Khosro K Isfahani.
Zoljanah-1 launch vehicle/ballistic missile Courtesy: IRGC via X
