 The first Saturn I was launched October 27, 1961. | |
| Function | Medium-lift launch vehicle |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Chrysler (S-I) Douglas (S-IV) Convair (S-V) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Size | |
| Height | 55 m (180 ft) |
| Diameter | 6.60 m (21 ft 8 in) |
| Mass | 510,000 kg (1,124,000 lb) |
| Stages | 2 or 3 (3rd stage flew, but never in an active configuration) |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | |
| Altitude | 185 km (115 mi) |
| Orbital inclination | 28° |
| Mass | 9,100 kg (20,000 lb) (2 stages) |
| Payload to TLI | |
| Mass | 2,200 kg (4,900 lb) (2 stages) |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Retired |
| Launch sites | Cape Canaveral, LC-34 and LC-37 |
| Total launches | 10 |
| Success(es) | 10 |
| First flight | 27 October 1961 (SA-1) |
| Last flight | 30 July 1965 (AS-105) |
| Type of passengers/cargo | Boilerplate Apollo CM, Pegasus |
| First stage – S-I | |
| Powered by | 8 × H-1 |
| Maximum thrust | 6,700 kN (1,500,000 lbf) |
| Burn time | ~150 seconds |
| Propellant | LOX / RP-1 |
| Second stage – S-IV | |
| Powered by | 6 × RL10 |
| Maximum thrust | 400 kN (90,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 421 s (4.13 km/s) vacuum |
| Burn time | ~482 seconds |
| Propellant | LOX / LH2 |
| Third stage – S-V (flew inactively)[1] | |
| Powered by | 2 × RL10 |
| Maximum thrust | 133 kN (30,000 lbf) |
| Burn time | ~430 seconds |
| Propellant | LOX / LH2 |
The Saturn I[a] was a rocket designed as the United States' first medium lift launch vehicle for up to 20,000-pound (9,100 kg) low Earth orbit payloads.[2] Its development was taken over from the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) in 1958 by the newly formed civilian NASA. Its design proved sound and flexible. It was successful in initiating the development of liquid hydrogen-fueled rocket propulsion, launching the Pegasus satellites, and flight verification of the Apollo command and service module launch phase aerodynamics. Ten Saturn I rockets were flown before it was replaced by the heavy lift derivative Saturn IB, which used a larger, higher total impulse second stage and an improved guidance and control system. It also led the way to development of the super-heavy lift Saturn V which carried the first men to landings on the Moon in the Apollo program.
President John F. Kennedy identified the Saturn I, and the SA-5 launch in particular, as being the point where US lift capability would surpass the Soviets, after being behind since Sputnik.[3][4]
- ^ Encyclopedia Astronautica - Saturn I Archived 2010-12-07 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Terminology has changed since the 1960s; back then, 20,000 pounds was considered "heavy lift".
- ^ Newsreel report of JFK with SA-1 (video)
- ^ JFK Speech at Brooks AFB, 21Nov63 (video, on the last full day of his life)
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