AS-101

AS-101
AS-101 (SA-6)
Mission typeSpacecraft aerodynamics
OperatorNASA
COSPAR ID1964-025A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.800
Mission duration~5 hours, 53 minutes
Orbits completed54
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftApollo BP-13
Launch mass7,700 kilograms (17,000 lb)
Start of mission
Launch dateMay 28, 1964, 17:07:00 (1964-05-28UTC17:07Z) UTC
RocketSaturn I SA-6
Launch siteCape Kennedy LC-37B
End of mission
DisposalUncontrolled reentry
Last contactMay 28, 1964 (1964-05-29) after 4 orbits
Decay dateJune 1, 1964
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Perigee altitude178 kilometers (96 nmi)
Apogee altitude199 kilometers (107 nmi)
Inclination31.7 degrees
Period88.26 minutes
Epoch30 May 1964[1]
← SA-5
AS-102 →

AS-101 (also designated SA-6) was the sixth flight of the Saturn I launch vehicle, which carried the first boilerplate Apollo spacecraft into low Earth orbit.[2][3] The test took place on May 28, 1964, lasting for four orbits (about six hours). The spacecraft and its upper stage completed a total of 54 orbits before reentering the atmosphere and crashing in the Pacific Ocean on June 1, 1964.

The flight experienced a single anomaly: one of the eight first-stage Saturn I engines shut down early, but the guidance system compensated by burning the remaining seven engines longer. AS-101 was followed by four more flights to verify the launch aerodynamics of the Apollo command and service module (CSM) and its launch escape system (LES) tower.

  1. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  2. ^ "NASA: SA-6". Archived from the original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2003.
  3. ^ NSSDC: SA-6