SA-5 (Apollo)

Saturn I SA-5

Von Braun and JFK with a model of the SA-5 vehicle on November 16, 1963, weeks prior to launch
Mission type	Test flight
Operator	NASA
COSPAR ID	1964-005A
SATCAT no.	744
Mission duration	791 days
Distance travelled	519,463,719 kilometers (322,779,790 mi)
Orbits completed	~12,000
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	Jupiter nosecone and ballast
Launch mass	17,600 kilograms (38,700 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	January 29, 1964, 16:25:01 (1964-01-29UTC16:25:01Z) UTC
Rocket	Saturn I SA-5
Launch site	Cape Kennedy LC-37B
End of mission
Decay date	April 30, 1966 (1966-05-01)
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Perigee	258 kilometers (160 mi)
Apogee	741 kilometers (460 mi)
Inclination	31.4 degrees
Period	94.61 minutes
Epoch	3 March 1964
Project Apollo Unmanned tests ← Saturn I SA-4 A-101 →

SA-5 was the first launch of the Block II Saturn I rocket and was part of the Apollo program. President John Kennedy identified this launch as the one which would place US lift capability ahead of the Soviets, after being behind for more than six years since Sputnik.

The major changes that occurred on SA-5 were that for the first time the Saturn I would fly with two stages - the S-I first stage and the S-IV second stage. The second stage featured six engines burning liquid hydrogen. Although this engine design (RL10) was meant to be tested several years earlier in the Centaur upper stage, in the end the first Centaur was launched only two months before SA-5. This rocket stage was delivered to the Cape by a modified B-377 aircraft, the Aero Spacelines Pregnant Guppy.

Other major design changes included the enlargement of the fuel tanks on the first stage. For the first time the rocket would carry its planned 750,000 lb (340,000 kg) of propellant and would use eight upgraded engines producing a thrust each of 188,000 lbf (836 kN). The first stage also featured for the first time eight fins for added stability during flight. As with the earlier flight the rocket would still carry only a Jupiter-C nosecone instead of a boilerplate Apollo spacecraft.

Also the guidance and control computer on the rocket was positioned above the second stage. This was where it would be found on the Saturn V flights that would take astronauts to the moon. The Instrument Unit controlled the ascent of the rocket through the atmosphere, automatically compensating for any winds or loss of thrust during the ascent.