Saturn I

The Saturn I was the first Saturn rocket and was conceived as the United States' first medium lift launch vehicle, designed to put up to 20,000 pounds (9,100 kg) into low Earth orbit. Its development began for the Advanced Research Projects Agency and was taken over in 1958 by the newly formed civilian NASA. Wernher von Braun's team at the Army Ballistic Missile Agency had first proposed it under the name Juno V. The S-I first stage burned RP-1 fuel with liquid oxygen in eight H-1 rocket engines, and the S-IV second stage used six RL10 engines burning liquid hydrogen, which made the Saturn I the vehicle that started liquid hydrogen rocket propulsion in the program. The first Saturn I made its maiden flight on 27 October 1961. Ten flew before it was replaced by the Saturn IB, and it led the way to the Saturn V that carried the first crews to the Moon. It also launched the Pegasus satellites and checked the launch phase aerodynamics of the Apollo command and service module.