Orión (rocket)
Orión was the designation of a sounding rocket family 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] An Orión flight on August 13, 1966 that reached an apogee of 114 km, surpassing the Kármán line, made Argentina the first South American nation to launch a rocket into space.[4]
Orión-1
|  Orión-1 at the National Aeronautics Museum of Argentina | |
| Function | Sounding rocket | 
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Instituto de Investigaciones Aeronáuticas y Espaciales (IIAE) | 
| Country of origin | Argentina | 
| Size | |
| Height | 3 m (9.8 ft) | 
| Diameter | 0.21 m (8.3 in) | 
| Mass | 100 kg (220 lb) | 
| Stages | 1 | 
| Capacity | |
| Launch history | |
| Launch sites | CELPA Chamical | 
| Total launches | 2 | 
| Success(es) | 2 | 
| First flight | October 1, 1965 | 
| Last flight | July 1, 1966 | 
| First stage - Orión | |
| Burn time | 12 seconds | 
| Propellant | solid | 
| Fuel & Oxidizer mass/volume | 55 kg (121 lb) | 
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]
Launches
Table of Orión-1 launches:[4]
| Date | Launch Site | Launch Vehicle | Mission Type | Apogee | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 October 1 | CELPA | Orión-1 | Test mission | 90 km (55 mi) | 
| 1966 July 1 | CELPA | Orión-1 | Test mission | 90 km (55 mi) | 
Gallery
-  			 Orión-1 diagram Orión-1 diagram
-  			.jpg) Orión-1 diagram Orión-1 diagram
-  			 Orión-1 photo Orión-1 photo
Orión-2
|  Launch preparations for Orión-2 O-14 (1967) | |
| Function | Sounding rocket | 
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Instituto de Investigaciones Aeronáuticas y Espaciales (IIAE) | 
| Country of origin | Argentina | 
| Size | |
| Height | 3.77 m (12.4 ft) | 
| Diameter | 0.21 m (8.3 in) | 
| Mass | 100 kg (220 lb) | 
| Stages | 1 | 
| Capacity | |
| Launch history | |
| Launch sites | Wallops Island, CELPA (El Chamical), CELPA (Mar Chiquita),Tartagal | 
| Total launches | 22 | 
| First flight | May 19, 1966 | 
| Last flight | December 19, 1971 | 
| First stage - Orión | |
| Burn time | 12 seconds | 
| Propellant | solid | 
| Fuel & Oxidizer mass/volume | 55 kg (121 lb) | 
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]
Launches
Table of Orión-2 launches:[4]
| Date | Launch Site | Launch Vehicle | Mission Type | Apogee | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 May 19 | CELPA | Orión-2 | Test mission | 100 km (60 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) | 
Gallery
-  			.jpg) 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)
References
- ^ a b Corliss, William R. (1971). NASA SOUNDING ROCKETS, 1958-1968 A Historical Summary (NASA SP-4401) (PDF). NASA. p. 68.
- ^ a b c d e Krebs, Gunter. "Orión-1 /-2". Gunter's space page. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
- ^ Argentina. Secretaría de Difusión y Turismo. 1970.
- ^ a b c "IIAE.Orion". Encyclopedia Astronautica. 2022-05-22. Retrieved 2025-01-22.
- ^ a b "Orion-1". Encyclopedia Astronautica. 2022-05-22. Retrieved 2025-01-22.
- ^ "Orion-1 engine". Encyclopedia Astronautica. 2016-12-28. Archived from the original on 2016-12-28. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
- ^ a b c "Orion-2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. 2022-05-22. Retrieved 2025-01-22.