Apollo 6
Apollo 6 was NASA’s final uncrewed Saturn V qualification flight. Launched on Apr. 4, 1968, the AS-502 test exercised the Saturn V and Apollo command and service module; vibration, early engine shutdowns, and an S-IVB restart failure forced an alternate mission, but the spacecraft completed a high-speed reentry test and was recovered safely.
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Identity
- Aliases
- AS-502Apollo 6Apollo Saturn 502
- Name
- Apollo 6
- Status
- completed
Details
- Astronauts
- -
- Description
- Apollo 6 was NASA’s final uncrewed Saturn V qualification flight. Launched on Apr. 4, 1968, the AS-502 test exercised the Saturn V and Apollo command and service module; vibration, early engine shutdowns, and an S-IVB restart failure forced an alternate mission, but the spacecraft completed a high-speed reentry test and was recovered safely.
- Destination
- Earth orbit and high-energy reentry for the final uncrewed qualification flight of the Saturn V launch vehicle and Apollo spacecraft
- End Date
- 1968-04-04
- Launch Site
- Outcome
- Apollo 6 exercised the Saturn V and Apollo spacecraft qualification objectives through an alternate mission after severe pogo oscillation, lost lunar-module-adapter panels, two premature S-II engine shutdowns, and an S-IVB restart failure. The Service Module engine enabled a high-energy reentry simulation, and the Command Module splashed down 80 km off target and was recovered in good condition. The results helped NASA resolve the remaining issues without another uncrewed Saturn V test before crewed Apollo flights.
- Programs
- Start Date
- 1968-04-04
- Vehicle Families
Links
- Official Url
- https://www.nasa.gov/mission/apollo-6/
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- August 15, 2026 at 04:50:20 UTC
- Updated Time
- September 7, 2026 at 21:14:05 UTC
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Other
- Affiliations
- Space Stations
- -
- Vehicles