Saturn IB - Saturn IB Vehicles and Launches

Saturn IB Vehicles and Launches

The original Saturn IBs for Apollo were launched from LC-34 and LC-37, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The Saturn IB was used between 1973 and 1975 for three manned Skylab flights, and one Apollo-Soyuz Test Project flight. This final production run did not have alternating black and white S-IB stage tanks, or vertical stripes on the S-IVB aft tank skirt, which were present on the earlier vehicles. Since LC-34 and 37 were inactive by then, these launches utilized Kennedy Space Center's LC-39B. To accommodate the height differential between the Saturn IB and the much larger Saturn V, a "milkstool" apparatus was attached to the Mobile Launcher Platform. The "milkstool" enabled the Apollo Command Module's hatch to reach the Launch Umbillical Tower's crew access arm and accommodate all the ground support connections related to fuelling and support.


Serial
Number
Mission Spacecraft
Mass (kg)
Launch
Date
Notes
SA-201 AS-201 20,820 February 26, 1966 Unmanned suborbital test of Block I CSM
(Command/Service Module)
SA-203 AS-203 None July 5, 1966 Unmanned test of unburned LH2 behavior in orbit
to support S-IVB-500 restart design
SA-202 AS-202 25,810 August 25, 1966 Unmanned suborbital test of Block I CSM
SA-204 Apollo 1 20,412 Was to be first manned orbital test of Block I CSM.
Cabin fire killed astronauts and damaged CM during
dress rehearsal for planned February 21, 1967 launch
Apollo 5 14,360 January 22, 1968 Unmanned orbital test of Lunar Module,
used Apollo 1 launch vehicle
SA-205 Apollo 7 16,520 October 11, 1968 Manned orbital test of Block II CSM
SA-206 Skylab 2 19,979 May 25, 1973 Block II CSM ferried first crew to Skylab orbital workshop
SA-207 Skylab 3 20,121 July 28, 1973 Block II CSM ferried second crew to Skylab orbital workshop
SA-208 AS-208 Standby Skylab 3 rescue CSM-119; not needed
Skylab 4 20,847 November 16, 1973 Block II CSM ferried third crew to Skylab orbital workshop
SA-209 AS-209 Standby Skylab 4 and later Apollo-Soyuz rescue CSM-119.
Not needed, currently on display in the KSC rocket garden
Skylab 5 Planned CSM mission to lift Skylab workshop's orbit
to endure until Space Shuttle ready to fly; cancelled.
SA-210 ASTP 16,780 July 15, 1975 Apollo CSM with special docking adapter module,
rendezvoused with Soyuz 19. Last Saturn IB flight.
SA-211 Unused
SA-212 Unused. First stage scrapped.
S-IVB stage converted to Skylab space station.
SA-213 Only first stage built. Unused and scrapped.
SA-214 Only first stage built. Unused and scrapped.

For earlier launches of vehicles in the Saturn I series, see the list in the Saturn I article.

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