 | |
 | |
 C.E.D.E.A. installations inMoguer | |
  C.E.D.E.A. installations inMoguer | |
| Formation | 4 October 1966[1] |
|---|---|
| Type | rocket launch site |
| Location |
|
| Coordinates | 37°05′49″N6°44′19″W / 37.09694°N 6.73861°W /37.09694; -6.73861 |
| Owner | INTA (Spain) |
Director | Carlos Maestro Fernández |
El Arenosillo Test Centre (CEDEA) is the name of arocket launch site forsuborbital rockets managed byINTA, located inMoguer (Spain).[2][3][4] It is located in theprovince ofHuelva,Andalucía, in the southwest coast of Spain (37.1° N, 6.7° W).[5] CEDEA is adjacent to theCenter of Excellence for Unmanned Systems (CEUS).
El Arenosillo is also the location of an autonomousastronomical observatory of theBOOTES network,[6][4] with two domes and three telescopes.
Among the main facilities that INTA has at CEDEA are (updated 2009):
Complementing the above, the Center also has:
In 2017 part of the equipment was damaged in awildfire. In the years 2018 and 2019 INTA has dedicated part of its budget to replace damaged equipment.
Incomplete list of launch pads:
The first launch of a rocket from El Arenosillo took place 15 October 1966.[7] Up to 1994 a total of 557 rockets were launched from this base, mainly of theSkua type foratmospheric soundings and in collaboration with other countries.[3] Other rockets launched includedNike Cajun,Nike Apache,Centaure,Black Brant,Skylark,Petrel,Super Loki,INTA-255,INTA-300 andINTA-300B.[3]
All rockets for atmospheric soundings in Spain are launched from El Arenosillo.
In 2015Delft Aerospace Rocket Engineering broke the European altitude record for amateur rocketry by launching the Stratos II+ rocket to 21.5 km altitude from El Arenosillo.[8][9]
On 1 March 2017,Zero 2 Infinity tested its first rocket, a Bloostar prototype, in El Arenosillo.[10] A balloon took Bloostar to 25 km. At 25 km the ignition of the rocket took place. The goals of the mission were: (i) validation of the telemetry systems in Space conditions, (ii) controlled ignition, (iii) stabilization of the rocket, (iv) monitoring of the launch sequence, (v) parachute deployment, and finally, (vi) sea recovery. All these goals were achieved in full.[11]
In 2023PLD Space launched its first rocketMiura 1 from El Arenosillo.[12][13][14]
| Date (UTC) | Vehicle | Payload | Launch pad | Result | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 October 1966 | Skua | INTA, Carabela 4 Aeronomy / test | ? | Success | First launch, 81 km apogee |
| 19 July 1969 | INTA-255 | ? | ? | Success | |
| 20 December 1969 | INTA-255 | ? | ? | Success | |
| 22 December 1970 | INTA-255 | ? | ? | Success | |
| 12 January 1974, 19:12 | Skylark | H-GR-58 | ? | Success | |
| 27 June 1976 | Black Brant IV | ASTRO-6, EUV radiation | ? | Success | 720 km apogee |
| 18 February 1981 | INTA-300 | ? | Nike | Success | |
| 7 April 1992[15] | INTA-100 | ? | ? | Success | First launch of INTA-100. 120 km apogee |
| 21 October 1993 | INTA-300B | ? | Nike[16] | Success | |
| 16 April 1994 | INTA-300B | ? | Nike | Success | |
| 16 Oct 2015[9][8] | Stratos II+ | ? | ? | Success | 21.457 km (new European amateur record) |
| 1 March 2017 | Bloostar | ? | – | Success | Bloostar first test |
| 26 July 2018 | Stratos III | ? | ? | Failure | |
| 11 April 2019 | Miura 5 | None | ? | Success | Drop test 5 km |
| 23 October 2021[17] | Stratos IV | ? | ? | Failure (Aborted) | |
| 20 November 2021 | Bondar[18] | ? | ? | Success | 7.8 km apogee (Spanish amateur record)[19] |
| 7 October 2023[12][13][14] | Miura 1 | Payload fromZARM | Médano del Loro | Success | 46 km apogee |
Only some launches are listed here. For information on individual rockets, see theList of rockets launched from El Arenosillo.