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 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] Orión marked Argentina's entry into the club of space-faring nations, with a flight on August 13, 1966 that reached an apogee of 114 km surpassing the Kármán line.[4]

Orión-1

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
• 
  Orión-1 photo

Orión-2

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

• 
  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)

References

1. Corliss, William R. (1971). NASA SOUNDING ROCKETS, 1958-1968 A Historical Summary (NASA SP-4401) (PDF). NASA. p. 68.
2. Krebs, Gunter. "Orión-1 /-2". Gunter's space page. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
3. Argentina. Secretaría de Difusión y Turismo. 1970.
4. "IIAE.Orion". Encyclopedia Astronautica. 2022-05-22. Retrieved 2025-01-22.
5. "Orion-1". Encyclopedia Astronautica. 2022-05-22. Retrieved 2025-01-22.
6. "Orion-1 engine". Encyclopedia Astronautica. 2016-12-28. Archived from the original on 2016-12-28. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
7. "Orion-2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. 2022-05-22. Retrieved 2025-01-22.