Back to Vehicle Families

Saturn IB

Saturn IB was NASA's two-stage launch vehicle for Earth-orbital Apollo development and crewed operations. Nine vehicles flew successfully from 1966 through 1975: three early uncrewed tests, Apollo 5 and Apollo 7, the three crewed Skylab launches, and the American Apollo launch for Apollo-Soyuz.

Saturn IB
NASA Johnson Space Center · NASA asset; NASA current Images and Media Usage Guidelines generally permit factual or informational/editorial use with NASA attribution and without implying NASA endorsement. NASA’s S68-48662 catalog identifies Johnson Space Center (JSC) and lists no third-party photographer or copyright holder. Commercial, promotional, merchandise, logo/insignia, or other protected-rights uses may require separate clearance. · Source
Follow this vehicle family

Future launches and major activity directly linked to this vehicle family.

Identity

Aliases
Saturn 1B
Family Name
Saturn
Full Name
Saturn IB
Status
retired
Type
rocket
Variant Name
IB

Details

Description
Saturn IB was NASA's two-stage launch vehicle for Earth-orbital Apollo development and crewed operations. Nine vehicles flew successfully from 1966 through 1975: three early uncrewed tests, Apollo 5 and Apollo 7, the three crewed Skylab launches, and the American Apollo launch for Apollo-Soyuz.
Dimensions
Diameter M
6.61
Height M
68.3
First Flight Year
1,966
Last Flight Year
1,975
Manufacturer
Operator
Parent Vehicle Family
Propulsion Configurations
  • Entries
    • Nested value
    • Nested value
    Name
    Saturn IB production configuration
    Notes
    NASA identifies Saturn IB as a two-stage vehicle: eight uprated H-1 engines power the S-IB first stage and one J-2 engine powers the S-IVB second stage. No additional propulsion is asserted here.
Rocket Specs
Liftoff Mass Kg
590,000
Payload Capacity Kg
Leo
21,000
Reusability
expendable
Stages Count
2
Strap On Boosters Count
0

Links

Assets & Meta

Creation Time
July 13, 2026 at 06:52:34 UTC
Updated Time
August 15, 2026 at 06:18:03 UTC

Other

Search Name
Saturn IB Saturn 1B