CELPA (Mar Chiquita)
| CELPA II (Mar Chiquita) | |
|---|---|
Centro de Experimentación y Lanzamiento de Proyectiles Autopropulsados | |
| Mar Chiquita, Argentina (north of Mar del Plata) | |
| Site information | |
| Type | rocket launch site |
| Operator | Argentine Air Force, Argentine Army |
| Location | |
  CELPA II (Mar Chiquita) Location in Argentina | |
| Coordinates | 37°43′36″S 57°24′54″W / 37.72667°S 57.41500°W |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1968 |
| In use | 1968 to 1976; 2025 |
CELPA II (Mar Chiquita) also known as CELPA II Atlántico (Centro de Experimentación y Lanzamiento de Proyectiles Autopropulsados) is a rocket launch site in Mar Chiquita, Argentina, north of Mar del Plata.[1][2]
The launch site was in service from 1968 to 1976[3] and was mainly used for launching rockets of the types Orión-2, Arcas, Rocketsonde and Dragon I. The tests from CELPA Atlántico were sponsored by the United Nations since 1969. There was a total number of 69 tests. The compound was used by agencies like NASA, Meteorological Rocket Network (USA), CNES (France) and CONAE (Argentina).[4]
As of 2016, the site is used by the Argentine Air Force and Army to test anti-aircraft weaponry.[5]
In 2025 the MET 1-SO "Escorpio" sounding rocket was launched from the site,[1][6][2][7] followed by MET 2-SO "CRUX".[8][9]
See also
Notes and references
- ^ a b "El éxito en el lanzamiento experimental del cohete sonda MET 1-SO "Escorpio", un hito significativo para la industria aeroespacial nacional". Red Castrense. 2025-05-27.
- ^ a b "Hito histórico en la Fuerza Aérea Argentina". Argentina.gob.ar (in Spanish). 2025-05-22. Retrieved 2025-11-13.
- ^ "Mar Chiquita". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
- ^ De León, Pablo (2008). Historia de la Actividad Espacial en la Argentina. Lulú, p. 190. ISBN 0-557-01782-3 (in Spanish)
- ^ "La Fuerza Aérea celebró nuevo aniversario de la incorporación de sus sistemas de armas". La Capital de Mar del Plata. 2009.
- ^ Redaccion (2025-05-27). "Cuál es la misión del MET 1-SO, el exitoso cohete de la Fuerza Aérea Argentina". El Estrategico.
- ^ MET 1-SO "ESCORPIO" COHETE SONDA (PDF). Fuerza Aerea Argentina. 2025.
- ^ "Argentina consolidates its space presence: the Air Force successfully launched the MET 2-SO 'CRUX' sounding rocket". La Derecha Diario. 2025-11-13.
- ^ "La Fuerza Aérea Argentina concretó con éxito el lanzamiento del cohete sonda MET 2-SO "CRUX"". 2025-11-13. pp. AeroMundo TV.