Saturn C-2
Encyclopedia
The Saturn C-2 was a conceptual American launch vehicle
, which was proposed for the Earth orbit rendezvous
(EOR) approach to a lunar landing
.
It consisted of an S-I first stage, later flown on the Saturn I
, an S-II
second stage, later flown on the Saturn V
, an S-IV
third stage, later flown on the Saturn I, and an S-V (Centaur) fourth stage, which, whilst never flying on any Saturn rockets, would be used on Atlas and Titan rockets, and is still in use on the Atlas V
to this day. The design was first studied in 1960, and it was calculated that 15 launches would be required to assemble a lunar spacecraft in Low Earth orbit
.
Launch vehicle
In spaceflight, a launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a rocket used to carry a payload from the Earth's surface into outer space. A launch system includes the launch vehicle, the launch pad and other infrastructure....
, which was proposed for the Earth orbit rendezvous
Earth orbit rendezvous
Earth orbit rendezvous is a type of space rendezvous and a spaceflight methodology most notable for enabling round trip human missions to the moon...
(EOR) approach to a lunar landing
Moon landing
A moon landing is the arrival of a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon. This includes both manned and unmanned missions. The first human-made object to reach the surface of the Moon was the Soviet Union's Luna 2 mission on 13 September 1959. The United States's Apollo 11 was the first manned...
.
It consisted of an S-I first stage, later flown on the Saturn I
Saturn I
The Saturn I was the United States' first heavy-lift dedicated space launcher, a rocket designed specifically to launch large payloads into low Earth orbit. Most of the rocket's power came from a clustered lower stage consisting of tanks taken from older rocket designs and strapped together to make...
, an S-II
S-II
The S-II was the second stage of the Saturn V rocket. It was built by North American Aviation. Using liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen it had five J-2 engines in a cross pattern...
second stage, later flown on the Saturn V
Saturn V
The Saturn V was an American human-rated expendable rocket used by NASA's Apollo and Skylab programs from 1967 until 1973. A multistage liquid-fueled launch vehicle, NASA launched 13 Saturn Vs from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida with no loss of crew or payload...
, an S-IV
S-IV
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...
third stage, later flown on the Saturn I, and an S-V (Centaur) fourth stage, which, whilst never flying on any Saturn rockets, would be used on Atlas and Titan rockets, and is still in use on the Atlas V
Atlas V
Atlas V is an active expendable launch system in the Atlas rocket family. Atlas V was formerly operated by Lockheed Martin, and is now operated by the Lockheed Martin-Boeing joint venture United Launch Alliance...
to this day. The design was first studied in 1960, and it was calculated that 15 launches would be required to assemble a lunar spacecraft in Low Earth orbit
Low Earth orbit
A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...
.