Orión (rocket)

This article is about the Argentinian sounding rocket. For the US sounding rocket, see Orion (rocket). For other uses, see Orion.
"Orion-1 (rocket)" and "Orion-2 (rocket)" redirect here. For other uses, see Orion 1 and Orion 2.
Orión
Orión-1 sounding rocket
Country of originArgentina
Date1965
DesignerInstituto de Investigaciones Aeronauticas y Espaciales
StatusRetired
sounding rocket
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Orión.

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]

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 diagram
    Orión-1 diagram
  • Orión-1 photo
    Orión-1 photo
  • Orión-1 at the National Aeronautics Museum of Argentina
    Orión-1 at the National Aeronautics Museum of Argentina

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 diagram
  • Orión-2 O-10 on the launch ramp
    Orión-2 O-10 on the launch ramp
  • Orión-2 launch from Chamical (August 13, 1966)
    Orión-2 launch from Chamical (August 13, 1966)
  • Payload recovered from Orión-2 at Wallops Island (November 1966)
    Payload recovered from Orión-2 at Wallops Island (November 1966)
  • Orión-2 rockets prepared for solar eclipse observations (November 10, 1966)
    Orión-2 rockets prepared for solar eclipse observations (November 10, 1966)
  • Launch preparations for Orión-2 O-14 (1967)
    Launch preparations for Orión-2 O-14 (1967)

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)

References

  1. ^ a b Corliss, William R. (1971). NASA SOUNDING ROCKETS, 1958-1968 A Historical Summary (NASA SP-4401) (PDF). NASA. p. 68.
  2. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ a b "Orión-1". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on December 28, 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  6. ^ "Orion-1 engine". 2016-12-28. Archived from the original on 2016-12-28. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  7. ^ a b c "Orión-2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on December 28, 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2016.


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