The Centauro series is a family of Argentinian solid-fuel sounding rockets developed by the Instituto de Investigaciones Aeronauticas y Espaciales (IIAE).

[1] Main characteristics of the Alfa Centauro sounding rocket were:[1] The first launch took place on February 2, 1961,[6][7][8] from the Santo Tomás base in the Achala Pampa in the province of Córdoba.

The rocket as designated APEX-A1-S2-015 and aimed to experiment with the separation of the two stages and to test the measurements and instruments of the vehicle: flight speed, range, atmospheric pressure, among other parameters.

On February 19, 1962, five new launches were carried out from the Santo Tomás Base, where the new Scar 2.65 engines were tested for the first time, successfully recovering the capsules with their payloads in all cases, allowing the measurement of the altitude at which the separation occurred.

[9] Experiments with the Beta Centauro allowed for the refinement of payload takeoff and altitude measurements, continuing from 1964 with the Orion sounding rocket.

[14] Gamma Centauro was a two-stage rocket, with a length of 2.43 m and a diameter of 13 cm, capable of sending a 5 kg payload to an apogee of 59 km.

The model served to test the equipment that would later be part of the next project in Antarctica in 1965, including the launch tower and the polyethylene cover with heating that maintained the cabin at a temperature of 25 °C.