Saturn I SA-5

Saturn I SA-5

Wernher von Braun and John F. Kennedy with a model of the SA-5 vehicle on November 16, 1963, 2 months prior to launch
Mission type	Test flight
Operator	NASA
COSPAR ID	1964-005A
SATCAT no.	744
Mission duration	791 days[citation needed]
Distance travelled	519,463,719 kilometers (280,487,969 nmi)
Orbits completed	~12,000
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	Jupiter nosecone and ballast
Launch mass	17,600 kilograms (38,700 lb)[citation needed]
Start of mission
Launch date	January 29, 1964, 16:25:01 (1964-01-29UTC16:25:01Z) UTC
Rocket	Saturn I SA-5
Launch site	Cape Kennedy LC-37B
End of mission
Decay date	April 30, 1966 (1966-05-01)
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Perigee altitude	258 kilometers (139 nmi)
Apogee altitude	741 kilometers (400 nmi)
Inclination	31.4 degrees
Period	94.61 minutes
Epoch	3 March 1964[1]
Project Apollo Uncrewed tests ← Saturn I SA-4 AS-101 →

Saturn-Apollo 5 (SA-5) was the first launch of the Block II Saturn I rocket and was part of the Apollo program. In 1963, President Kennedy identified this launch as the one which would place US lift capability ahead of the Soviets, after being behind for more than six years since Sputnik.^[2]