SA-4

Launch Success

Liftoff Time (GMT)

20:11:55

Thursday March 28, 1963

Watch Replay

24/7 Coverage

Mission Details

Launch Notes

Final flight of Saturn 1 Block I.

SA-4

Wiki

The major addition to this flight was that, in order to test the rocket's ability to deal with an engine failure during the flight, one of the engines would be programmed to shut down about 100 seconds after launch. If all went well the rocket would reroute the fuel for this engine to the other engines and have the rocket burn longer to compensate for the loss of acceleration. This was used successfully on the later Apollo 6 and Apollo 13 flights (both Saturn V rockets).

Suborbital

1 Payload

52,480 kilograms

Rocket

Retired
Saturn I Block I

Active 1961 to 1963

National Aeronautics and Space Administration logo

Agency

NASA

Rocket

Height: 55m

Liftoff Thrust

6,700 Kilonewtons

Stages

1

Launch Site

LC-34

Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida, USA

Fastest Turnaround

132 days 3 hours

Stats

Saturn I


4th

Mission

1st

Mission of 1963