Saphir (rocket)

VE 231 Saphir (French, meaning sapphire) was a French two stage sounding rocket.[1]

Not to be confused with Safir.
Saphir
A diagram of the Saphir rocket
ManufacturerSEREB
Country of originFrance
Size
Height17.77 metres (58.3 ft)
Diameter1.40 metres (4 ft 7 in)
Mass18,058 kilograms (39,811 lb)
Stages2
Associated rockets
FamilyPierres Précieuses
("Precious Stones")
Derivative workDiamant
Launch history
StatusRetired
Launch sitesCIEES
Total launches15
Success(es)13
Failure(s)2
First flight5 July 1965
Last flight27 January 1967
First stage – Emeraude
Powered by4 Vexin-B
Maximum thrust301.55 kilonewtons (67,790 lbf)
Specific impulse251 seconds
Burn time93 seconds
PropellantN2O4/UDMH
Second stage – Topaze
Maximum thrust120 kilonewtons (27,000 lbf)
Specific impulse255 seconds
Burn time39 seconds
Propellantsolid
Military space program pierres précieuses (fr.: gemstones) that included the five prototypes Agathe, Topaze, Emeraude, Rubis and Saphir.

It was part of the pierres précieuses (fr.: gemstones) program, that included five prototypes Agathe, Topaze, Emeraude, Rubis and Saphir,[2] leading up to the Diamant orbital rocket.

Its codename, VE 231, indicates that it is a "Véhicule Expérimental" (Experimental Vehicle) with 2 stages, using liquid and solid propellant (code 3), and guided (code 1).

Saphir was used between 1965 and 1967 and had a payload capacity of 365 kilograms (805 lb). The rocket could reach a maximum altitude of 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) and produced thrust of 280 kilonewtons (63,000 lbf) at launch. Saphir had a launch mass of 18,058 kilograms (39,811 lb), a diameter of 1.40 metres (4 ft 7 in) and a length of 17.77 metres (58.3 ft).[3]

Saphir variants were designed to allow testing of radio-controlled guidance (VE231P), inertial guidance (VE231G), and warhead separation and ablative heat shielding of a re-entry vehicle (VE231R).[3][4]

The Diamant rocket, which carried the first French satellite, Asterix-1, into orbit, was developed from the Saphir with the addition of a third stage. After the successful launch of Diamant, Saphir rockets were used to test technologies for France's burgeoning intercontinental ballistic missile development—as mentioned before, radio and inertial guidance, warhead separation, and ablative heat shielding of a re-entry vehicle.[3][4]

Launches

Saphir was launched 15 times from CIEES, Hammaguir, from July 5, 1965, to January 27, 1967.[1][3]

Number Date Variant Payload Apogee (km) Result
1 5 Jul 1965 VE231P Reentry P1 1000 Success
2 10 Jul 1965 VE231P Reentry P2 50 Failure
3 9 Oct 1965 VE231P Reentry P3 1150 Success
4 13 Mar 1966 VE231G Reentry G1 1000 Success
5 18 Mar 1966 VE231G Reentry G2 1000 Success
6 28 Mar 1966 VE231R Reentry R2 1000 Success
7 5 Apr 1966 VE231R Reentry R1 1000 Success
8 23 Jun 1966 VE231R Reentry R4 1000 Success
9 5 Oct 1966 VE231R Reentry R3 1000 Success
10 28 Oct 1966 VE231G Reentry G3 1000 Success
11 2 Nov 1966 VE231G Reentry G4 1000 Success
12 2 Dec 1966 VE231R Reentry R5 50 Failure
13 13 Dec 1966 VE231R Reentry R6 1000 Success
14 19 Jan 1967 VE231G Reentry G5 1000 Success
15 27 Jan 1967 VE231G Reentry G6 1000 Success

See also

References
  1. Krebs, Gunter D. "Saphir". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  2. Capdevila, Didier. "Les Constellations et les Pierres Précieuses". Capcom Espace. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  3. Wade, Mark. "Saphir VE231". Astronautix. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  4. Serra, Jean Jacques. "The Precious Stones". Sat-Net. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
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