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Short thread on the institutional framework of Iran's solid propellant SLV effort and the interesting questions posed by the new Zoljanah SLV as well as the Qased SLV.
So we know that Hassan Moghaddam began project Ghaem to develop a solid-propellant SLV in the mid 2000s. Frustrated by the slow pace of missile and rocket development he launched his own research and development organization the IRGC Self-Sufficiency Jihad organisation IRGC-SSJO.
The SSJO would work in parallel to Iran's established missile and SLV producer, the Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO) and had separate facilities. The first was Bidganeh and we strongly suspected Shahroud was the second one. https://www.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/1207711/pasdaran-solid-fuel-and-aviator-sunglasses/
In 2011, an explosion killed Moghaddam and destroyed the Bidganeh facility. While there was ongoing activity at Shahroud, it was entirely unclear whether the program continued after Moghaddam's death or if it was broken op or reoriented.
Then in 2020, we learned the program was still alive. The advanced Salman upper stage motor developed by the IRGC was unveiled, motor testing footage taken at Shahroud was released and finally the Qased SLV was launched from the same base. https://www.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/1208906/irans-solid-propellant-slv-program-is-alive-and-kicking/
And to top it all off, IRGC commander Salami mentioned that the effort was still led by Moghaddam's old organisation the SSJO and another commander revealed that Shahroud was indeed built by Moghaddam. So the solid SLV program seemed to look exactly as expected. However...
then the Zoljanah solid-fuel SLV appeared. And it didn't correspond to the above-mentioned arrangement at all. Its existence was revealed by the spokesman for AIO, it's motor was tested at AIO's Khojir facility, the rocket itself was marked with the AIO logo and...
it was launched from Iran's established Imam Khomeini Space Port in Semnan. So despite using solid-propellant, the Zoljanah seems to have been developed by AIO, the same organization that also built Iran's Safir and Simorgh.
There are also interesting technical differences. Many observers expected the Zoljanah to use the advanced flexible nozzle of the Salman but in the end it turned out to use jet vanes.
So what's going on? Well, I'd say there are two potential explanations. The first is that there is some divison of labor approach when it comes to solid fuel SLVs. For example, the SSJO could be focusing on advanced upper stage stuff while AIO works on larger solid motors.
The second explantion could be that there are in fact two solid-fuel SLV development programs running in parallel. Now I know, this sounds a little wild but crazier things have happened in the missile programs of factionalized regimes.
In the end, time will tell. If we are seeing some sort of Salman/Zoljanah combo it's likely that the first explanation is correct. If we are seeing a new SLV unrelated to the Zoljanah being launched from Shahroud, it's the second one.
End of the not so short thread.
