Las Palmas (also mentioned as Lapachito and Chaco)[1] is a rocket launch site in Argentina at 27°08′S 58°45′W / 27.13°S 58.75°W / -27.13; -58.75 used on November 12, 1966,[2] for the launch of two Titus rockets[3] for observing a solar eclipse.[4][5][3][6][1][7]

The site is located in the steppes of the Las Palmas region in the east of the Chaco province, 35 km east of the city of Resistencia (itself located about a thousand kilometers north of the Argentine capital Buenos Aires).[7]

It had no previous facilities, so rocket assembly halls (300 m2), a science building (320 m2), trajectory centers, a command post, launch infrastructure, telemetry stations and the power system were set.[7]

The choice of this location was justified firstly by the fact that the region was crossed by the eclipse. Secondly, the existence of a natural environment allowing the recovery of rocket nose cones, with the impact zone clear of vegetation for better detection and recovery.[7]

Launches

Two successful Titus rocket launches occurred on November 12, 1966, in collaboration between CNES and the Argentinian agency CNIE.[6][3][2]

Date Mission Description Apogee (km)
November 12, 1966 FU-150 A Solar Eclipse mission 274
FU-150 B Solar Eclipse mission 270

References

  1. ^ a b "Argentina en la aventura espacial, el eclipse, un jalón para nuestra ciencia, cronicas del siglo pasado, 60s, sesentas, 70s, setentas, politica, nacional, musica, comentarios, historia, argentina, ensayos, fotos". www.magicasruinas.com.ar. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  2. ^ a b "Las Palmas". Astronautix.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved 2016-01-09.
  3. ^ a b c "Titus". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  4. ^ "La fusée Titus". eurospace.free.fr. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  5. ^ "SEPR-739 with upper stages". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  6. ^ a b "Fusées de l'ONERA". 2013-01-15. Archived from the original on 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  7. ^ a b c d Varnoteaux, Philippe (May 2016). "Il y a 50 ans, le CNES et l'ONERA effectuaient en Argentine la spectaculaire opération «Eclipse»" (PDF). Espace & Temps. Bulletin d’information de l’Institut Français d’Histoire de l’Espace. No. 17. Institut Français d’Histoire de l’Espace. pp. 10–19.
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