Tauro was an

Argentinian Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

sounding rocket A sounding rocket or rocketsonde, sometimes called a research rocket or a suborbital rocket, is an instrument-carrying rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its sub-orbital flight. The rockets are often ...

developed in 1977. It is a two-stage

solid fuel rocket A solid-propellant rocket or solid rocket is a rocket with a rocket engine that uses solid propellants (fuel/ oxidizer). The earliest rockets were solid-fuel rockets powered by gunpowder. The inception of gunpowder rockets in warfare can be cr ...

(two

Canopus Canopus is the brightest star in the southern constellation of Carina (constellation), Carina and the list of brightest stars, second-brightest star in the night sky. It is also Bayer designation, designated α Carinae, which is Rom ...

stages), used between 1977 and 1981.

Description

Built by ''Instituto de Investigaciones Aeronáuticas y Espaciales (IIAE)'', it was capable of sending a 100 kg payload to an altitude of 120 km. Both stages burned a

polyurethane Polyurethane (; often abbreviated PUR and PU) is a class of polymers composed of organic chemistry, organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links. In contrast to other common polymers such as polyethylene and polystyrene, polyurethane term ...

composite and had a diameter of 28 cm. Total weight of Tauro was 1200 kg with a length of 7.6 m.

Launches

Tauro was launched nine times from CELPA (''Centro de Ensayo y Lanzamiento de Proyectiles Autopropulsados''), Chamical. The first Tauro (''Tauro T-01'') was launched in July 1977. A second rocket (''Tauro T-02'') was launched on February 2, 1979. The last flight (''Tauro T-09'') happened on December 10, 1981, equipped with cameras for earth surface photography from high altitudes. The photographic payload was successfully recovered.

References

{{Argentina space program Space programme of Argentina Sounding rockets of Argentina Solid-fuel rockets