Table of Contents
The Journeys of the Saturn : Launch Vehicle Data
This page lists major launch vehicle data for The Journeys of the Saturn timeline.
Saturn Family
The first launch vehicle designed from the ground up with no ICBM heritage. It was originally a Department of Defense vehicle that was designed to put 9,000 - 18,000 Kg into orbit with a first stage thrust of 1,500,000 lbf. The Saturn name was proposed by Wernher Von Braun as a logical progression from the Jupiter series rockets.
Saturn 1
Payload to LEO: 9,000 kg
Payload to TLI: 2,200 kg
Flight Record: 10 flights, 10 successes
Saturn 1B
Payload to LEO (237×237 at 51.6 degrees): 16400 kg
Flight Record:
Saturn V
Payload to TLI: 47,000 kg
Payload to LEO (2 stage): 118,000 kg
Flight Record:
Saturn VB
Saturn Launch Vehicle Elements
| Stage Name | Description/Role | Dry Mass | Prop Mass | Thrust | ISp | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 260“ SRB | 260” Solid Rocket Booster | 156,126 kg | 1,492,299 | 35,391 kN | 263 | ||
| Saturn-ID | Stretched Saturn-V First Stage | 203,900 kg | 3,011,900 kg | 36,758.4 kN | 310 s | ||
| Saturn-IIB | Stretched Saturn-V 2nd Stage | 62,000 kg | 540,788 kg | 5692.5 kN | 436 s | ||
| Saturn-1VC | Stretched 3rd stage of Saturn-V and Saturn-I 2nd Stage | 20,400 kg | 158,800 kg | 1138.5 kN | 436 s | N/A | N/A |
Vehicle Info
| Stage 0 | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage Name | 4×260“ SRB | S-1D | S-IIB | S-IVC |
| Manufacturer | AeroJet | Boeing | North American | McDonnel Douglas |
| Diameter | 6.6 Meters | 10 Meters | 10 Meters | 6.6 Meters |
| Length | 33.8 Meters | 54.7 Meters | 29.6 Meters | 22.8 Meters |
| Dry Mass | 156,126 kg | 203,900 kg | 62,000 kg | 20,400 kg |
| Propellant | 1,492,229 kg | 3,011,900 kg | 540,788 kg | 158,800 kg |
| Engine | Solid | 4xF1A | 5xJ2-S | 1xJ2-S |
| Thrust | 35,391 kN | 36758.4 Kn | 1138.5 kN | 1138.5 kN |
| ISp | 263s | 310s | 436s | 436s |
Vehicle Performance
| Orbits | Payloads |
|---|---|
| 185×185 km, 28.5 | 327,486kg |
| 430×430 km, 51.6 | 296,893kg |
| C3=0 | 130,479 kg |
| C3=15 | 105,082 kg |
Saturn VB-Block-II
The Saturn VB block was a incremental improvement in the Saturn VB launch vehicle. The main change was the change from the J2-S Engines on the 2nd and 3rd stage to the new HG-3 engine. The HG-3 engine had been the original engine that NASA wanted for the Saturn-VB rockets. However as development issues plagued the development of the HG-3 engine the J2-S was also flight tested as a backup engine. The Saturn VB stages in the rush to get into production are all over-engineered for what they do. After the first series of launches a improvement in manufacturing in design allowed a reduction in dry mass for the S-II, S-IVC stages. The 260” SRB casing was also redesigned to eliminate recovery and a overall thinning of casing was accomplished since the original casing had been over-engineered.
Saturn Launch Vehicle Elements
| Stage Name | Description/Role | Dry Mass | Prop Mass | Thrust | ISp | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 260“ SRB-Block-II | 260” Solid Rocket Booster | 142,126 kg | 1,492,299 | 35,391 kN | 263 | ||
| Saturn-ID | Stretched Saturn-V First Stage | 201,900 kg | 3,011,900 kg | 36,758.4 kN | 310 s | ||
| Saturn-IIB | Stretched Saturn-V 2nd Stage | 53,000 kg | 540,788 kg | 7,003.5 kN | 451 s | ||
| Saturn-1VC-300 | Stretched 3rd stage of Saturn-V and Saturn-I 2nd Stage | 18,000 kg | 158,800 kg | 1,400.7 kN | 451 s | N/A | N/A |
Vehicle Info
| Stage 0 | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage Name | 4×260“ SRB | S-1D | S-IIB-Block-II | S-IVC-Block-II |
| Manufacturer | AeroJet | Boeing | North American/Rockwell | McDonnel Douglas |
| Diameter | 6.6 Meters | 10 Meters | 10 Meters | 6.6 Meters |
| Length | 33.8 Meters | 54.7 Meters | 29.6 Meters | 22.8 Meters |
| Dry Mass | 142,126 kg | 201,900 kg | 53,000 kg | 18,000 kg |
| Propellant | 1,492,229 kg | 3,011,900 kg | 540,788 kg | 158,800 kg |
| Engine | Solid | 4xF1A | 5xHG-3 | 1xHG-3 |
| Thrust | 35,391 kN | 36758.4 Kn | 7,003.5 | 1,400.7 kN |
| ISp | 263s | 310s | 451s | 451s |
Vehicle Performance
| Orbits | Payloads |
|---|---|
| 185×185 km, 28.5 | 366,167kg |
| 430×430 km, 51.6 | 331,878kg |
| C3=0 | 151,703 kg |
| C3=15 | 123,965 kg |
Saturn 1C
Vehicle info
| Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 (optional) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage Name | 260” SRB | S-IVC | Centaur-E |
| Manufacturer | AeroJet | McDonnel Douglas | General Dynamics |
| Diameter | 6.6 Meters | 6.6 Meters | 3 Meters |
| Dry Mass | 156,126 kg | 20,400 kg | 3,000 kg |
| Propellant | 1492229 kg | 158800 kg | 20,830 kg |
| Engine | Solid | J2-S | 2xRL10A-3 |
| Thrust | 30,000 KN | 1138.5 KN | 131 kN |
| ISp | 263s | 436s | 444s |
Vehicle Performance
| Orbits | Payloads |
|---|---|
| 185×185 km, 28.5 | 41,574 kg |
| 430×430 km, 51.6 | 34,718 kg |
| 185×20250 km, 28.5,(Centaur 3rd Stage) | 19,028 kg |
| 185×35785 km, 28.5,(Centaur 3rd Stage) | 16,702 kg |
| C3=0,(Centaur 3rd Stage) | 16,566 kg |
| C3=15,(Centaur 3rd Stage) | 13,065 kg |
| C3=40,(Centaur 3rd Stage) | 8,922 kg |
(C3=0 corresponds to TLI, C3=15 to TMI)
Saturn III
Vehicle info
| Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage Name | 3×260“ SRB | 1×260” SRB | S-IVC |
| Manufacturer | AeroJet | AeroJet | McDonnel Douglas |
| Diameter | 6.6 Meters | 6.6 Meters | 6.6 Meters |
| Dry Mass | 468,378 kg | 156,126 kg | 20,400 kg |
| Propellant | 4,476,687 kg | 1,492,229 kg | 158,800 kg |
| Engine | Solid | Solid | J2-S |
| Thrust | 106,172 KN | 35,391 KN | 1138.5 kN |
| ISp | 263s | 263s | 436s |
Vehicle Performance
| Orbits | Payloads |
|---|---|
| 185×185 km, 28.5 | 120,125,574 kg |
| 430×430 km, 51.6 | 103,972 kg |
| C3=0,(Centaur 3rd Stage) | 33,906 kg |
| C3=15,(Centaur 3rd Stage) | 24,722 kg |
(C3=0 corresponds to TLI, C3=15 to TMI)