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Rocket From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saturn A-1, studied in 1959, was projected to be the first version of Saturn I and was to be used if necessary before the S-IV liquid hydrogen second stage became available.[1]
This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2023) |
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Function | Uncrewed launch vehicle |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Von Braun |
Country of origin | United States |
Size | |
Height | 49.62 m (162.29 ft) |
Diameter | 6.52 m (21.39 ft) |
Mass | 524,484 kg |
Stages | 3 (all used on various vehicles, now retired) |
Capacity | |
Payload to low Earth orbit | |
Mass | 13,600 kg (30,000 lb) |
for LEO | |
Launch history | |
Status | Never flown |
Launch sites | N/A |
First stage - S-I | |
Engines | 8 H-1 |
Thrust | 7,582 kN |
Burn time | 150 seconds |
Propellant | RP-1/LOX |
Second stage Titan I | |
Engines | 2 LR-87-3 |
Thrust | 1,467 kN |
Burn time | 138 seconds |
Propellant | RP-1/LOX |
Third stage - Centaur C | |
Engines | 2 RL-10A-1 |
Thrust | 133 kN |
Burn time | 430 seconds |
Propellant | LH2 / LOX |
It was designed as a three stage vehicle. The S-I first stage (initially proposed for the Juno V rocket and eventually used on Saturn I) would propel the Saturn A-1 into space, continuing the flight with a Titan I[2]: 3–6 missile based second stage. Finally a Centaur[2]: 3–6 C high-energy double-engine third stage could send a payload into its final Earth orbit or to other planets.
The Saturn A-1 never flew, but all proposed stages were used on different launch vehicles. Today, they are all retired.