Country of origin | Argentina |
---|---|
Date | 1965 |
Designer | Instituto de Investigaciones Aeronauticas y Espaciales |
Status | Retired |
sounding rocket |
Orión was the designation of a sounding rocket of Argentina, [1] which was launched between 1965 and 1971 at CELPA (El Chamical), CELPA (Mar Chiquita), Tartagal and Wallops Island. [2]
Developed by the Instituto de Investigaciones Aeronauticas y Espaciales (IIAE), [3] Orión marked Argentina's entry into the club of space-faring nations, with a flight on 13 August 1966 that reached an apogee of 114 km surpassing the Kármán line. [4]
The first version Orión-1 was flown twice in 1965 and 1966 from CELPA (El Chamical), [2] in order to test the engines and technologies.
It had a length of 3.00 m (9.84 ft), a diameter of 21 cm (8.3 in) and a weight of 100-kilogram (220 lb). [5] Apogee was 80 km (50 mi) for a 10-kilogram (22 lb) payload. [5] Solid fuel mass was 55-kilogram (121 lb) with a burn time of 12 seconds. [6]
In November 1966, three tests of the updated Orión-2 took place from Wallops Island. [1] [2]
This version had a gross takeoff mass of 100 kg (220 lb) and could carry a 25-kilogram (55 lb) payload to an apogee of 160 km (99 mi). [7] Its dimensions were 3.77 m (12.4 ft) in length and 21 cm (8.3 in) in diameter. [7]
Orión-2 was launched 22 times from 1966 to 1971. [7] [2] Besides Wallops, launch sites included CELPA (El Chamical), CELPA (Mar Chiquita) and Tartagal. [2]
Table of Orión launches: [4]
Date | Launch Site | Launch Vehicle | Mission Type | Apogee |
---|---|---|---|---|
1965 October 1 | CELPA | Orión-1 | Test mission | 90 km (55 mi) |
1966 May 19 | CELPA | Orión-2 | Test mission | 100 km (60 mi) |
1966 July 1 | CELPA | Orión-1 | Test mission | 90 km (55 mi) |
1966 August 13 | CELPA | Orión-2 | Test mission | 114 km (70 mi) |
1966 September 1 | CELPA | Orión-2 | Test mission | 90 km (55 mi) |
1966 November 4 | Wallops Island | Orión-2 | Test mission | 90 km (55 mi) |
1966 November 7 | Wallops Island | Orión-2 | Failure | 0 km (0 mi) |
1966 November 9 | Wallops Island | Orión-2 | Test mission | 82 km (50 mi) |
1966 November 12 | Tartagal | Orión-2 | Eclipse mission | 90 km (55 mi) |
1966 November 12 | Tartagal | Orión-2 | Eclipse mission | 90 km (55 mi) |
1966 November 12 | Tartagal | Orión-2 | Eclipse mission | 90 km (55 mi) |
1967 May 19 | CELPA | Orión-2 | Rat payload | 90 km (55 mi) |
1967 September 6 | CELPA | Orión-2 | Aeronomy mission | 90 km (55 mi) |
1967 September 7 | CELPA | Orión-2 | Aeronomy mission | 90 km (55 mi) |
1967 September 7 | CELPA | Orión-2 | Aeronomy mission | 90 km (55 mi) |
1967 December 14 | CELPA | Orión-2 | X-ray astronomy mission | 35 km (21 mi) |
1967 December 16 | CELPA | Orión-2 | X-ray astronomy mission | 70 km (43 mi) |
1968 January 24 | Mar Chiquita | Orión-2 | Chemical release mission | 90 km (55 mi) |
1968 November 27 | Mar Chiquita | Orión-2 | Chaff | 56 km (34 mi) |
1969 May 28 | CELPA | Orión-2 | Biological mission | 90 km (55 mi) |
1969 August 30 | CELPA | Orión-2 | X-ray astronomy mission | 90 km (55 mi) |
1969 August 30 | CELPA | Orión-2 | Biological mission | 90 km (55 mi) |
1970 May 3 | Mar Chiquita | Orión-2 | Chemical release/fields mission | 90 km (55 mi) |
1971 December 19 | CELPA | Orión-2 | Test mission | 106 km (65 mi) |