Saturn S-IV

Saturn S-IV
US
Schematics of the S-IV
Manufacturer Douglas Aircraft Company
Rockets Saturn I (stage 2)
Height 12.19 m (40 ft)
Diameter 5.49 m (18 ft)
Engines 6 RL-10 engines
Thrust 400 kN (90,000 lbf)
Burn time ~410 seconds
Fuel LOX/LH2

The S-IV was the second stage of the Saturn I, a rocket-powered launch vehicle used by NASA for early flights in the Apollo program.

The S-IV was manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company and later modified by them to the S-IVB, a similar but distinct stage used on the Saturn IB and Saturn V rockets.

The S-IV stage was a large LOX/LH2-fueled rocket stage used for the early test flights of the Saturn I rocket. It formed the second stage of the Saturn I and was powered by a cluster of six RL-10A-3 engines. Each one of the engines supplied 66.7 kilonewtons (15,000 lbf) of thrust for a total of about 400 kilonewtons (90,000 lbf). The cryogenic LH2 (liquid hydrogen) and LOX (liquid oxygen) tanks were separated by a common bulkhead. The forward bulkhead of the LOX tank formed the aft bulkhead of the LH2 tank. This saved about ten tons of structural weight.

This page was last modified on Tuesday, 7th July 2020 at 10:48:44 by Gary Keeling. © 2026 space.gkmail.uk. not complete