Orión (rocket)

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Orión
Orión-1 sounding rocket
Country of originArgentina
Date1965
DesignerInstituto de Investigaciones Aeronauticas y Espaciales
StatusRetired
sounding rocket

Orión was the designation of a sounding rocket of Argentina,[1] which was launched between 1965 and 1971 at 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 in order to test the engines and technologies; with a length of 3.00 m (9.84 ft) it was limited to a 10-kilogram (22 lb) payload.[5]

The Orión-2 had a gross takeoff mass of 100 kg (220 lb) and could carry a 25-kilogram (55 lb) payload. Its dimensions were 3.77 m (12.4 ft) in length and 0.21 m (8.3 in) in diameter. It could reach a ceiling of 160 km (99 mi).[6] In November 1966, three tests took place.[7] The production version was launched 22 times from 1966 to 1971.[6][2]

Launches[edit]

Table of Orion launches:[4]

Date Launch Site Launch Vehicle Mission Type Apogee
1965 October 1 CELPA Orion-1 Test mission 90 km (55 mi)
1966 May 19 CELPA Orion-2 Test mission 100 km (60 mi)
1966 July 1 CELPA Orion-1 Test mission 90 km (55 mi)
1966 August 13 CELPA Orion-2 Test mission 114 km (70 mi)
1966 September 1 CELPA Orion-2 Test mission 90 km (55 mi)
1966 November 4 Wallops Island Orion-2 Test mission 90 km (55 mi)
1966 November 7 Wallops Island Orion-2 Failure 0 km (0 mi)
1966 November 9 Wallops Island Orion-2 Test mission 82 km (50 mi)
1966 November 12 Tartagal Orion-2 Eclipse mission 90 km (55 mi)
1966 November 12 Tartagal Orion-2 Eclipse mission 90 km (55 mi)
1966 November 12 Tartagal Orion-2 Eclipse mission 90 km (55 mi)
1967 May 19 CELPA Orion-2 Rat payload 90 km (55 mi)
1967 September 6 CELPA Orion-2 Aeronomy mission 90 km (55 mi)
1967 September 7 CELPA Orion-2 Aeronomy mission 90 km (55 mi)
1967 September 7 CELPA Orion-2 Aeronomy mission 90 km (55 mi)
1967 December 14 CELPA Orion-2 X-ray astronomy mission 35 km (21 mi)
1967 December 16 CELPA Orion-2 X-ray astronomy mission 70 km (43 mi)
1968 January 24 Mar Chiquita Orion-2 Chemical release mission 90 km (55 mi)
1968 November 27 Mar Chiquita Orion-2 Chaff 56 km (34 mi)
1969 May 28 CELPA Orion-2 Biological mission 90 km (55 mi)
1969 August 30 CELPA Orion-2 X-ray astronomy mission 90 km (55 mi)
1969 August 30 CELPA Orion-2 Biological mission 90 km (55 mi)
1970 May 3 Mar Chiquita Orion-2 Chemical release/fields mission 90 km (55 mi)
1971 December 19 CELPA Orion-2 Test mission 106 km (65 mi)

References[edit]

  1. ^ NASA Sounding Rockets, 1958 - 1968: A Historical Summary. Scientific and Technical Information Office, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 1971.
  2. ^ a b Krebs, Gunter. "Orión-1 /-2". Gunter's space page. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  3. ^ Argentina. Secretaría de Difusión y Turismo. 1970.
  4. ^ a b "IIAE Orion". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on December 28, 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  5. ^ "Orion-1". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on December 28, 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  6. ^ a b "Orion-2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on December 28, 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  7. ^ SP-4401 - NASA SOUNDING ROCKETS, 1958-1968: A Historical Summary.The National Aeronautics and Space Administration.