Saturn IB

In-active

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Feb. 26, 1966

Description

The Saturn IB (pronounced "one B", also known as the Uprated Saturn I) was an American launch vehicle commissioned by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the Apollo program. It replaced the S-IV second stage of the Saturn I with the much more powerful S-IVB, able to launch a partially fueled Apollo Command/Service Module (CSM) or a fully fueled Lunar Module (LM) into low Earth orbit for early flight tests before the larger Saturn V needed for lunar flight was ready.

Specifications
  • Stages
    2
  • Length
    43.2 m
  • Diameter
    6.61 m
  • Fairing Diameter
  • Launch Mass
    590 T
  • Thrust
    7100 kN
Family
  • Name
    Saturn IB
  • Family
  • Variant
    IB
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Saturn IB
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
  • Low Earth Orbit
    21000 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Government
Administrator: Bill Nelson
NASA 1958

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. NASA have many launch facilities but most are inactive. The most commonly used pad will be LC-39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Saturn IB | Apollo-Soyuz Test Project

National Aeronautics and Space Administration | United States of America
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
July 15, 1975, 7:50 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project was the first joint US-Soviet space flight and the last crewed US space mission until the Space Shuttle program. The US side of mission began on July 15, 1975, 19:50:00 UTC, launching Commander Thomas P. Stafford, Command Module Pilot Vance D. Brand and Docking Module Pilot Donald K. Slayton into orbit. Two days later, they docked with the Soyuz 19 spacecraft. American and Soviet crews visited each other's spacecrafts, performed docking and redocking maneuvers, conducted joint scientific experiments, exchanged flags and gifts. Crews spent more than 44 hours together, and after final parting of the ships on July 19, Apollo crew spent nine more days in orbit, conducting Earth observation experiments. The Apollo crew returned to Earth on July 24, 1975, 21:18:0 UTC with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

Low Earth Orbit
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Saturn IB | Skylab 4

National Aeronautics and Space Administration | United States of America
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Nov. 16, 1973, 2:01 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Skylab 4 (also known as SL-4 or SLM-3) was the third and the last crewed mission to the first US orbital space station Skylab. The mission began on November 16, 1973, 14:01:23 UTC with the launch of a three-person crew. Crew members were the Commander Gerald P. Carr, Science Pilot Edward G. Gibson and William R. Pogue. During their 83-day stay on the station, crew performed Earth and solar observations. The mission ended successfully with the splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on February 8, 1974, 15:16:53 UTC.

Low Earth Orbit
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Saturn IB | Skylab 3

National Aeronautics and Space Administration | United States of America
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
July 28, 1973, 11:10 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Skylab 3 (also known as SL-3 or SLM-2) was the second crewed mission to the first US orbital space station Skylab. The mission began on July 28, 1973, 11:10:50 UTC with the launch of a three-person crew. Crew members were the Commander Alan L. Bean, Science Pilot Owen K. Garriott and Pilot Jack R. Lousma. During their 59-day stay on the station, crew continued station repairs and conducted various scientific and medical experiments. The mission ended successfully with the splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on September 25, 1973, 22:19:51 UTC.

Low Earth Orbit
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Saturn IB | Skylab 2

National Aeronautics and Space Administration | United States of America
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
May 25, 1973, 1 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Skylab 2 (also known as SL-2 or SLM-1) was the first crewed mission to the first US orbital space station Skylab. The mission began on May 25, 1973, 13:00:00 UTC with the launch of a three-person crew. Crew members were the Commander Charles "Pete" Conrad, Jr., Science Pilot Joseph P. Kerwin and Pilot Paul J. Weitz. During their 26-day stay on the station, crew performed station repairs and conducted scientific, medical experiments, gathered solar and Earth science data. The mission ended successfully with the splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on June 22, 1973, 13:49:48 UTC.

Low Earth Orbit
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Saturn IB | Apollo 7

National Aeronautics and Space Administration | United States of America
Cape Canaveral, FL, USA
Oct. 11, 1968, 3:02 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

The Apollo 7 crew was commanded by Walter M. Schirra, with Command Module Pilot Donn F. Eisele, and Lunar Module Pilot R. Walter Cunningham. Their mission was Apollo's 'C' mission, an 11-day Earth-orbital test flight to check out the redesigned Block II Apollo Command/Service Module (CSM) with a crew on board.

Low Earth Orbit
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Saturn IB | Apollo 5

National Aeronautics and Space Administration | United States of America
Cape Canaveral, FL, USA
Jan. 22, 1968, 10:48 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

The Apollo 5 mission tested the Lunar Module in a space environment, in particular its descent and ascent engine systems, and its ability to separate the ascent and descent stages. The descent engine would become the first throttleable rocket engine fired in space.

Low Earth Orbit
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Saturn IB | Apollo 1 (Failure before launch)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration | United States of America
Cape Canaveral, FL, USA
Jan. 27, 1967, 11:31 p.m.
Status: Launch Failure
Mission:

Apollo 1, initially designated AS-204, was the first crewed mission of the United States Apollo program, the undertaking to land the first man on the Moon. It was planned to launch on February 21, 1967, as the first low Earth orbital test of the Apollo command and service module. The mission never flew; a cabin fire during a launch rehearsal test at Cape Kennedy Air Force Station Launch Complex 34 on January 27 killed all three crew members—Command Pilot Gus Grissom, Senior Pilot Ed White, and Pilot Roger B. Chaffee—and destroyed the command module (CM). The name Apollo 1, chosen by the crew, was made official by NASA in their honor after the fire.

Low Earth Orbit
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Saturn IB | Apollo AS-202

National Aeronautics and Space Administration | United States of America
Cape Canaveral, FL, USA
Aug. 25, 1966, 5:15 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Second uncrewed suborbital test flight of an Apollo CSM with the Saturn IB launch vehicle.

Suborbital
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Saturn IB | Apollo AS-203

National Aeronautics and Space Administration | United States of America
Cape Canaveral, FL, USA
July 5, 1966, 2:53 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

The purpose of Apollo 203 was to check out the behaviour of the fuel inside the Saturn-4B stage in weightlessness, which was crucial to allow the reignition of the stage.

Low Earth Orbit
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Saturn IB | Apollo AS-201

National Aeronautics and Space Administration | United States of America
Cape Canaveral, FL, USA
Feb. 26, 1966, 4:12 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Suborbital uncrewed test flight of the Apollo CSM and Saturn IB launch vehicle.

Suborbital
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