Saphir (rocket)

The VE 231 Saphir (Sapphire) was a French two-stage sounding rocket, the largest of the five Pierres precieuses (gemstones) prototypes that led up to the Diamant orbital launcher. Its code VE 231 marks an experimental vehicle with two stages, mixed liquid and solid propellant and guidance. It flew between 1965 and 1967 with a payload capacity of 365 kilograms and a maximum altitude of about 1,000 kilometres, from a launch mass of 18,058 kilograms, a diameter of 1.40 metres and a length of 17.77 metres, with about 280 kilonewtons of thrust at launch. Variants tested radio-controlled guidance (VE231P), inertial guidance (VE231G) and warhead separation with an ablative re-entry heat shield (VE231R). The Diamant, which carried the first French satellite, Asterix, was developed from the Saphir by adding a third stage.