The United States propelled 32 Saturn rockets between 1961 and 1975. The Saturn family of rockets included Saturn I (10 launches), Saturn IB (9 dispatches), the three-stage Saturn V (12 launches), and the two-stage Saturn V (1 dispatch). In spite of the fact that a few flights experienced critical issues, no Saturn rocket fizzled disastrous in flight.
At 9:06 a.m. CST on October 27, 1961, NASA took the first step toward a moon landing by successfully launching the Saturn I rocket, the first specially designed rocket. for space exploration. The 162-foot, 460-ton rocket took off from Cape Canaveral, ignited its internal engines for 109 seconds, and after eight minutes of flight at a top speed of 3,607 miles per hour and at an altitude of 84,813 miles, landed in 13 miles of the expected impact site in the Atlantic Ocean.
Saturn I was the first element in the development of Saturn IB, and Saturn V would launch the Apollo 11 crew to the moon. The 1961 launch was the first of 10 successful Saturn I flights in the program. NASA is currently developing a new ‘SLS’ space launch system, which will be the most powerful rocket they’ve ever built. SLS is set to launch the Orion spacecraft as part of the upcoming Artemis lunar exploration program.
