Support Equipment

Salman space launcher

Also known as

Salman launcher
Salman rocket
Salman launch vehicle
Kavoshgar Salman

The Salman space launcher is an Iranian launch vehicle used in the December 2023 Kavous bio-space capsule test, a suborbital flight reported at about 130 km with a 500 kg capsule. Iranian government and news sources attribute the launcher to the Aerospace Industries Organization of Iran's Defense Ministry; this relationship-only catalog page covers the AIO-built launch system without implying battlefield or conflict use.

Salman space launcher, Iranian bio-space capsule launch vehicle, Support Equipment

Image source: Mehr Salman launcher report

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin: Iran
Built by: Aerospace Industries Organization
Type: Iranian bio-space capsule launch vehicle
Service note: First publicly used in December 2023
Designer: Aerospace Industries Organization
Produced: First public launch reported in 2023

Specifications

Role: Suborbital bio-space capsule launcher
Reported flight: December 6, 2023 Kavous bio-capsule launch to about 130 km
Payload class: Half-ton bio-space capsule; reported capsule mass 500 kg
Payload developer: Aerospace Research Institute for the Iran Space Agency
Launcher builder: Aerospace Industries Organization of Iran's Defense Ministry
Test objectives: Launch, recovery, speed-control, impact-mitigation, aerodynamics, parachute, and biological-condition monitoring systems

Bio-Capsule Launch Stack

Open reporting identifies Salman as the launch vehicle for the Kavous bio-space capsule rather than as a battlefield missile entry. The capsule was commissioned by the Iran Space Agency and built by the Aerospace Research Institute, while the launcher is attributed to the Aerospace Industries Organization of Iran's Defense Ministry.

Payload

Kavous bio-space capsule, reported at 500 kg.

Government reporting says the December 2023 mission was not defined as a living-creature carriage mission.

Flight Profile

Suborbital test to about 130 km with recovery and speed-control objectives.

Several news accounts used orbit language; the source-backed altitude describes a suborbital test profile.

Name Boundary

This entry covers the December 2023 Salman bio-capsule launcher.

It is not linked here to the separate Salman solid motor reported in Qased and Ghaem-100 launch vehicles.

Timeline

Salman space launcher Key Events

Dec 6, 2023
Kavous bio-capsule launched
Iranian government reporting said the Kavous bio-space capsule was launched with the domestically built Salman launcher to about 130 km.
Sources: Dolat Kavous launch report, Mehr Salman launcher report
Dec 6, 2023
First launcher-class details reported
Tasnim described Salman as the first version of a launcher class for half-ton bioscience capsules and attributed the launcher to the Aerospace Industries Organization.
Sources: Tasnim Salman launcher report

Media

Salman space launcher Videos

Iran Sends Animals to Space, Aiming to Fly Astronauts Soon

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Sources

Dolat Kavous launch reportPublisher: Government Information Base | Note: Supports the Kavous capsule name, Salman launcher identity, 130 km suborbital flight, 500 kg capsule mass, AIO builder attribution, first-use/class context, tested subsystems, recovery statements, and the caveat that the mission was not defined to carry a living creature. | Accessed: 2026-07-05 Mehr Salman launcher reportPublisher: Mehr News Agency | Note: Supports the Salman launcher identity, December 2023 bio-space capsule launch, 130 km altitude, 500 kg capsule, Iran Space Agency and Aerospace Research Institute payload context, AIO builder attribution, and the article image used for this relationship-only record. | Accessed: 2026-07-05 Tasnim Salman launcher reportPublisher: Tasnim News Agency | Note: Supports the first-version launcher-class description, half-ton capsule capability, AIO development attribution, and reported propulsion, aerodynamic, control, recovery, and environmental-monitoring test objectives. | Accessed: 2026-07-05 Press TV Salman launcher reportPublisher: Press TV | Note: Corroborates the Salman launcher, 500 kg capsule, 130 km altitude, AIO and Defense Ministry attribution, capsule developer context, and launch-system test areas. | Accessed: 2026-07-05 Tehran Times Salman capsule reportPublisher: Tehran Times | Note: Corroborates the half-ton biological-capsule launcher description, AIO manufacture, and reported propulsion, aerodynamic, and control features. | Accessed: 2026-07-05 Space.com Iran bio-capsule overviewPublisher: Space.com | Note: Provides secondary context for the December 2023 Salman-launched bio-capsule and notes the distinction between the reported 130 km altitude and broader human-spaceflight ambitions. | Accessed: 2026-07-05 Iran Watch Ghaem-100 rocket analysisPublisher: Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control | Note: Used only to bound the similarly named Salman solid motor reported in Qased and Ghaem-100 launch vehicles; this source does not establish that the December 2023 bio-capsule launcher is the same item. | Accessed: 2026-07-05