Sounding rocket program in Peru

Abstract

The National Commission for Aerospace Research and Development (CONIDA) is the space agency of Peru. Its mission is to promote scientific research, to develop space technology for national interests, and to create services for driving the national aerospace program. Moreover CONIDA has its own sounding rocket program. The development of such activities is for seeking ways to access space with an own national technological solution. CONIDA carries out this program in close collaboration with the local industry. The first "made in Peru" sounding rocket, named "Paulet I", was a joint venture between CONIDA and the Peruvian Air Force. It was launched from Punta Lobos on December 27, 2006. A second version of this rocket lifted off September 2, 2009 carrying into space a payload of 5 kilo. The last 30th of September 2011 CONIDA launched the rocket X-PAX-II, designed and manufactured integrally in the South American country. It contained a payload weighing 6.5 kilo. Punta Lobos is the Peruvian launch site for sounding rockets and research balloons located at the central part of the western pacific coast at 12°30′S and 76°48′W. Because of its location close to the magnetic Equator from there significant experiments in cooperation with international institutions, like NASA and the Max-Planck Institute of Germany, have been carried out especially for investigations of the Ionosphere. Early missions with sounding rockets began in the 70s and ended in the 90s. Over 50 sounding rockets of the type Loki, Nike Orion, Taurus Orion and Taurus Tomahawk were launched there. Currently CONIDA and its engineers work on the development of solid propellant and perform static tests on small rockets in the installations of the above mentioned launch site. This paper has the goal to inform the space community about CONIDA's past and present activities in this field. © 2012 by CONIDA, Juan Martín Canales Romero.