Centauro (sounding rocket)

Beta Centauro

Function	sounding rocket
Manufacturer	Instituto de Investigaciones Aeronauticas y Espaciales (IIAE)
Country of origin	Argentina
Size
Height	3.812 m
Diameter	94 mm
Mass	47.3 kg
Stages	2
Capacity
Launch history
Launch sites	Santo Tomás base, CELPA Chamical
First flight	September 30, 1961
First stage
Specific impulse	200 s
Burn time	1.23 s
Propellant	Solid (nitrocellulose, nitroglycerin and additives)
Fuel & Oxidizer mass/volume	11 kg
Second stage
Burn time	1 s
Propellant	4.5 kg
[edit on Wikidata]

Beta Centauro, a two-stage sounding rocket, had a length of 3,812 mm. The first stage (similar to Alfa Centauro) measured 1,769 mm with a diameter of 94 mm, and the second stage was 1,173 mm long with 79.5 mm in diameter.^[5]

The main characteristics of the Beta Centauro sounding rocket were:^[5]

• Apogee: 25 km
• Payload: 3.3 kg
• Length: 3700 mm
• Launch weight: 47.3 kg
• Specific impulse: 200 s
• First stage length: 1769 mm
• First stage delta-v: 1800 kg/sec.
• First stage burn time: 1.23 s
• First stage diameter: 94 mm
• First stage propellant weight: ~11 kg
• Second stage length: 1173 mm
• Second stage delta-v: 900 kg/sec.
• Second stage burn time: 1 s
• Second stage diameter: 79.5 mm
• Second stage propellant weight: ~4.5 kg

Beta Centauro was first launched on September 30, 1961. The rocket was designated APEX-A1-S2-015 and aimed to experiment with the separation of the two stages and to test the measurements and instruments of the vehicle: flight speed, range, atmospheric pressure, among other parameters.^[13][5] The launch was successful, and the rocket reached an altitude of 25 km.^[6]

On October 13, 1961, the Aerospace Institute conducted the second launch of the rocket (APEX-A1-S2-016) at the same base.^[5][9] Another Centauro rocket was launched on May 10, 1962, coinciding with the start of activities at the CELPA base in Chamical, La Rioja.

On February 19, 1962, five new launches were carried out from the Santo Tomás Base, where the new Scar 2.65 engines were tested for the first time, successfully recovering the capsules with their payloads in all cases, allowing the measurement of the altitude at which the separation occurred.^[14]

On November 15, 27, and 30, Centauro rockets were launched, the last two for aeronomy purposes, all three launched from the CELPA Chamical base, La Rioja province.^[9] On December 8 and 9, Centauro rockets were launched again, also for aeronomy purposes and with successful results. Throughout that year, the experiments were successful and yielded significant advances, with a total of 18 launches carried out.^[9]

On May 25, 1963, the Centauro 35 launch was undertaken for the "sodium cloud" operation, resulting in wind and turbulence measurements, reaching an altitude of 189 km.^[9]

Experiments with the Beta Centauro allowed for the refinement of payload takeoff and altitude measurements, continuing from 1964 with the Orion sounding rocket.^[14]

Gama Centauro

Gamma Centauro in flight
Function	sounding rocket
Manufacturer	Instituto de Investigaciones Aeronauticas y Espaciales (IIAE)
Country of origin	Argentina
Size
Height	2.430 m
Diameter	130 mm
Mass	27 kg
Stages	2
Capacity
Launch history
Launch sites	Puente del Inca, Matienzo Base, CELPA Chamical
Total launches	13
First flight	December 6, 1962
Last flight	February 8, 1965
First stage
Specific impulse	225 s
Propellant	solid
Fuel & Oxidizer mass/volume	11 kg
Second stage
Specific impulse	212 s
Propellant	solid
[edit on Wikidata]

Gamma Centauro was a two-stage rocket, with a length of 2.43 m and a diameter of 13 cm, capable of sending a 5 kg payload to an apogee of 59 km.^[2]

Main characteristics of the Gamma Centauro sounding rocket were:^[2][15][16]

• Apogee: 59 km
• Payload: 5 kg
• Length: 2430 mm
• Launch weight: 27 kg
• First stage specific impulse: 225 s
• First stage length: 800 mm
• First stage diameter: 130 mm
• First stage propellant weight: 11 kg
• Second stage specific impulse: 212 s
• Second stage length: 1600 mm
• Second stage diameter: 90 mm
• Second stage propellant weight: ~4 kg

Gamma Centauro was first tested on December 6, 1962.^[2] The following year, several tests of models I and II were conducted at CELPA.^[17]

On August 27, 1964, the "Operation Inca" mission was carried out in the province of Mendoza (more precisely near the Puente del Inca). During the operation, a vehicle was propelled to an altitude of 35 km, and the payload was recovered by parachute. The model served to test the equipment that would later be part of the next project in Antarctica in 1965, including the launch tower and the polyethylene cover with heating that maintained the cabin at a temperature of 25 °C.^[17]

Gamma Centaur tests continued in February 1965 when, for the first time, two Gamma Centaur rockets were simultaneously launched from the CELPA Experimentation Center, and two others from the Matienzo Base in Antarctica.^{[2][4][18][19]} Two sounding balloons assembled by the National University of Tucumán were also tested, reaching an altitude of 24 km.

In this way, Argentina became the third country, after the Soviet Union and the United States, to undertake aerospace activities from Antarctica.^[17] The resulting experiences were used to analyze flight and study X-rays in the atmosphere. In August, four tests were carried out with Gamma Centauro rockets from the CELPA base, all successful.^[1]