Saturn-Apollo 1 (SA-1), launched on October 27, 1961, marked the inaugural flight of the Saturn I space launch vehicle, the first in the Saturn series and the initial mission of the American Apollo program. The Saturn I booster represented a significant leap in size and power compared to previous launch vehicles. It was three times taller, required six times more fuel, and generated ten times the thrust of the Jupiter-C rocket, which had launched the first American satellite, Explorer 1, into orbit in 1958.
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| A "SpaceCraft" illustrated cachet cover cancelled on the day of the first launch of Saturn 1, PAFB October 27, 1961. |
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| Photo: Saturn test conductor Bob Mosier (left) and launch operations director Dr. Kurt H. Debus (right) engaged in discussion following the simulated launch of the Saturn rocket at Cape Canaveral. |
At that time, NASA opted against all-up testing, where the entire system is tested simultaneously. Instead, the agency planned to test each rocket stage individually through separate launches. For SA-1, the only operational stage was the S-I first stage. This initial flight aimed to assess the structure of the launch vehicle during a suborbital flight, utilizing a nose cone from a Jupiter rocket.
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| A Saturn 1 launch cover cancelled Port Canaveral, October 27, 1961. |
(Reference from
Saturn I SA-1)
