Uprated Saturn I

1966 July 5

14:53 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC37B. LV Family: Saturn I. Launch Vehicle: Uprated Saturn I.

• Apollo 203 - . Payload: Saturn S-IVB-203. Mass: 26,500 kg (58,400 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Huntsville. Program: Apollo. Decay Date: 1966-07-05 . USAF Sat Cat: 2289 . COSPAR: 1966-059A. Apogee: 212 km (131 mi). Perigee: 183 km (113 mi). Inclination: 31.90 deg. Period: 88.50 min.

  First orbital test Saturn IB; no spacecraft. AS-203 lifted off from Launch Complex 37, Eastern Test Range, at 10:53 a.m. EDT in the second of three Apollo-Saturn missions scheduled before manned flight in the Apollo program. All objectives - to acquire flight data on the S-IVB stage and instrument unit - were achieved.

  The uprated Saturn I - consisting of an S-IB stage, S-IVB stage, and an instrument unit - boosted an unmanned payload into an original orbit of 185 by 189 kilometers. The inboard engine cutoff of the first stage occurred after 2 minutes 18 seconds of flight and the outboard engine cutoff was 4 seconds later. The S-IVB engine burned 4 minutes 50 seconds. No recovery was planned and the payload was expected to enter the earth's atmosphere after about four days.

1966 August 25

17:15 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC34. LV Family: Saturn I. Launch Vehicle: Uprated Saturn I.

• Apollo 202 (AS-202) - . Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Apogee: 1,143 km (710 mi).

  Spacecraft 011 was essentially a Block I spacecraft with the following exceptions: couches, crew equipment, and the cabin postlanding ventilation were omitted; and three auxiliary batteries, a mission control programmer, four cameras, and flight qualification instrumentation were added.

  Of six primary test objectives assigned to the mission, the objectives for the environmental control, electrical power, and communications subsystems were not completely satisfied. All other spacecraft test objectives were successfully accomplished.