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]
 Orión-1 sounding rocket | |
| Country of origin | Argentina |
|---|---|
| Date | 1965 |
| Designer | Instituto de Investigaciones Aeronauticas y Espaciales |
| Status | Retired |
| sounding rocket | |
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]
Orión-1
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]
Orión-1 diagram
Orión-1 diagram
Orión-1 photo
Orión-1 at the National Aeronautics Museum of Argentina
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Orión-2
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]
Orión-2 diagram
Orión-2 O-10 on the launch ramp
Orión-2 launch from Chamical (August 13, 1966)
Payload recovered from Orión-2 at Wallops Island (November 1966)
Orión-2 rockets prepared for solar eclipse observations (November 10, 1966)
Launch preparations for Orión-2 O-14 (1967)
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Launches
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) |