Discover the Saturn V Rocket at the Kennedy Space Center

The Saturn V rocket is a now-retired super heavy-lift launch vehicle that was built by NASA for the human exploration of the moon, which makes it a must-visit attraction at the Kennedy Space Center. The rocket was developed under the Apollo program and used to launch 13 Saturn V rockets from 1967 to 1973. Saturn V was also used to launch Skylab, the first American space station. Read on to know about the history of the Saturn V rocket, why it’s famous, where it is now, its missions and launches, and more.

Quick Facts

• Official name: Saturn V
• Function: It was used to send American astronauts to the Moon
• Date of completion: 1967
• Missions: Apollo 4 (1967), Apollo 6 (1968), Apollo 8 (1968), Apollo 9 (1969), Apollo 10 (1969), Apollo 11 (1969), Apollo 12 (1969), Apollo 13 (1970), Apollo 14 (1971), Apollo 15 (1971), Apollo 16 (1972), Apollo 17 (1972), and Skylab 1 (1973)
• Size: The rocket was 363 feet tall and weighed about 2.8 million kilograms.
• Owner: Saturn V was developed by NASA and designed under the direction of Wernher von Braun, the lead contractors of which were Boeing, North American Aviation, Douglas Aircraft Company, and IBM.
• Location: Apollo/Saturn V Center at Kennedy Space Center

Description of the Saturn V Rocket

Designed at the Marshall Space Flight Centre in Alabama, the 363-feet-tall and 2.8 million kilograms heavy Saturn V was primarily built using aluminum along with titanium, polyurethane, cork, and asbestos. It could carry a weight of 130 tons into the Earth’s orbit and about 50 tons to the Moon. The rockets used for the Apollo missions comprised three stages – S-IC, S-II, S-IVB – and an instrument unit.

Each stage would burn its engines until it ran out of fuel and then separate itself from the rocket causing the engines on the next stage to fire. The same process would repeat for the next two stages as the rocket made its way into space and the separated pieces fell into the ocean. The first stage used the most fuel and had the most powerful engines because it had to get the rocket off the ground and to an altitude of 42 miles while the second stage prepared to launch it into orbit. The third stage would place the spacecraft into the orbit of the Earth and push it towards the Moon. 

The instrument unit was used to measure the acceleration and vehicle attitude to calculate the velocity and position of Saturn V and rectify any deviations. However, the Saturn V rocket that was used to launch Skylab into space consisted of only two stages instead of three. The S-II stage was changed to a terminal one to launch Skylab and prevent the first stage from rupturing in orbit.