Saphir (rocket) explained

Saphir
Manufacturer:SEREB
Country-Origin:France
Stages:2
Family:Pierres Précieuses
("Precious Stones")
Derivatives:Diamant
Status:Retired
Sites:CIEES
Launches:15
Success:13
Fail:2
First:5 July 1965
Last:27 January 1967
Stagedata:
Type:stage
Stageno:First
Engines:1 Vexin-B
Si:251 seconds
Burntime:93 seconds
Type:stage
Stageno:Second
Si:255 seconds
Burntime:39 seconds
Fuel:solid

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

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 . The rocket could reach a maximum altitude of and produced thrust of at launch. Saphir had a launch mass of, a diameter of and a length of .[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).

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.[4]

Launches

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

NumberDateVariantPayloadApogee (km)Result
15 Jul 1965VE231PReentry P11000Success
210 Jul 1965VE231PReentry P250Failure
39 Oct 1965VE231PReentry P31150Success
413 Mar 1966VE231GReentry G11000Success
518 Mar 1966VE231GReentry G21000Success
628 Mar 1966VE231RReentry R21000Success
75 Apr 1966VE231RReentry R11000Success
823 Jun 1966VE231RReentry R41000Success
95 Oct 1966VE231RReentry R31000Success
1028 Oct 1966VE231GReentry G31000Success
112 Nov 1966VE231GReentry G41000Success
122 Dec 1966VE231RReentry R550Failure
1313 Dec 1966VE231RReentry R61000Success
1419 Jan 1967VE231GReentry G51000Success
1527 Jan 1967VE231GReentry G61000Success

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Krebs . Gunter D. . Saphir . 2023-07-30 . Gunter's Space Page . en.
  2. Web site: Capdevila . Didier . Les Constellations et les Pierres Précieuses . 2023-08-29 . Capcom Espace.
  3. Web site: Wade. Mark. Saphir VE231. https://web.archive.org/web/20161221161703/http://www.astronautix.com/s/saphirve231.html. dead. December 21, 2016. Astronautix. 28 April 2018.
  4. Web site: Serra. Jean Jacques. The Precious Stones. Sat-Net. 28 April 2018.