The Saturn C-1 All Systems Test Booster (SA-T) is on horizontal display at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) adjacent to the original east static test tower.

SA-T was the very first Saturn stage. It was manufactured by the Army Ballistic Missile Agency at Redstone Arsenal (now MSFC), beginning in 1959, to fulfill the requirements of the original "Juno V Space Vehicle Development Program" contract for the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). By the time that stage assembly was completed in January 1960, the project had been transferred to NASA.

Between March 1960 and November 1962, SA-T performed 31 static test firings in the east tower. SA-T was repeatedly modified between test runs to simulate the first four Saturn C-1 Block 1 boosters, which performed four suborbital flights (SA-1, SA-2, SA-3, and SA-4) with dummy upper stages from Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 34 in 1961-1963. In its final tests, SA-T was equipped with the 188,000 pound thrust H-1 engines that were used on Saturn C-1 Block II vehicles SA-5 through SA-10.

Click on the thumbnail images to view enlargements.

SA-T at Marshall Space Flight Center in 2005 (Click for enlargements) 

For more Saturn artifact images, go to the Library page.

For a full accounting of Saturn 1, 1B, and V test and flight hardware, visit the Space Launch Report Saturn Vehicle History pages.

Page Updated September 14, 2005