The Saturn launch vehicle was the penultimate expression of the Peenemuende Rocket Team's designs for manned exploration of the moon and Mars. The designs were continuously developed and improved, starting from the World War II A11 and A12 satellite and manned shuttle launcher, through the designs made public in the Collier's Magazine series of the early 1950's, until the shock of the first Sputnik launch brought sudden real interest from the U.S. government. On December 30 1957 Von Braun produced a 'Proposal for a National Integrated Missile and Space Vehicle Development Plan'. This had the first mention of a 1,500,000 lbf booster (Juno V, later Saturn I). By July of the following year Huntsville had in hand the contract from ARPA to proceed with design of the Juno V. 
Following transfer of the Peenemuende Rocket Team from the US Army to NASA, a year after the first plan was mooted, Von Braun briefed NASA on plans for booster development at Huntsville with objective of manned lunar landing. It was initally proposed that 15 Juno V (Saturn I) boosters assemble a 200,000 kg payload in earth orbit for direct landing on moon. NASA produced two months later, on February 15, 1959, its plan for development in the next decade of Vega (later cancelled after NASA discovered the USAF was secretly developing the similar Hustler (Agena) upper stage), Centaur, Saturn, and Nova launch vehicles (Juno V renamed Saturn I at this point). Throughout the initial planning, Presidential decision, and landing mode debate for the Apollo lunar landing goal, a variety of Saturn and Nova configurations were considered. Of these, only the C-1 and C-5 were taken through to further development.
| Configuration | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage 4 | LEO Payload - kg | Escape Payload - kg |
| Saturn A-1 | 8 x H-1 | 2 x LR89 | 2 x LR115 | | | |
| Saturn A-2 | 8 x H-1 | 4 x S-3 | 2 x LR115 | | | |
| Saturn B-1 | 8 x H-1 | 4 x LR89 | 5 x LR115 | 2 x LR115 | | |
| Saturn C-1 | 8 x H-1 | 6 x LR115 | 2 x LR115 | | 9,000 | 2,200 |
| Saturn C-2 | 8 x H-1 | 1 x J-2 | 6 x LR115 | 2 x LR115 | 20,000 | 6,800 |
| Saturn C-3 | 2 x F-1 | 4 x J-2 | 6 x LR115 | 2 x LR115 | | |
| Saturn C-4 | 4 x F-1 | 4 x J-2 | 1 x J-2 | | | |
| Saturn C-5 | 5 x F-1 | 5 x J-2 | 1 x J-2 | | 127,000 | 45,000 |
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| Nova Basic | 6 x F-1 | 1 x F-1 | 4 x J-2 | | 68,000 | 16,000 |
| Nova A | 4 x F-1 | 4 x J-2 | 5 x LR115 | 1 x 2700 kgf | 68,000 | 27,000 |
| Nova B | 6 x F-1 | 8 x J-2 | 7 x LR115 | 1 x LR115 | 112,000 | 47,000 |
| Nova C | 6 x F-1 | 8 x J-2 | 1 x Nerva | | 68,000 | 38,000 |
| Nova D | 6 x F-1 | 8 x J-2 | 1 x Nerva | | 112,000 | 65,000 |
| Nova N-F1 | 8 x F-1 | 4 x F-1 | 1 x J-2 | | | 70,000 |
| Nova N-M1 | 8 x F-1 | 4 x M-1 | 1 x J-2 | | 180,000 | 90,000 |
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Jarvis
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Launch vehicle planned for Pacific launch based on Saturn V engines, tooling. Masses, payload estimated....more.
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Saturn C-2
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The launch vehicle initially considered for realizing the Apollo lunar landing at the earliest possible date. 15 launches and rendezvous required to assemble direct landing spacecraft in earth orbit....more.
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Saturn C-3
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The launch vehicle concept considered for a time as the leading contender for the Earth Orbit Rendezvous approach to an American lunar landing....more.
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Saturn C-8
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The largest member of the Saturn family ever contemplated. Designed for direct landing of Apollo command module on moon. Configuration used eight F-1 engines in...more.
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Saturn I
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Von Braun launch vehicle known as 'Cluster's Last Stand' - 8 Redstone tanks around a Jupiter tank core,powered by eight Jupiter engines. Originally intended as...more.
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Saturn V
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America's booster for the Apollo manned lunar landing. The design was frozen before a landing mode was selected; the Saturn V could be used for either Earth-Orbit-Rendezvous...more.
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Winged Saturn V
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In June 1962 NASA funded studies with several contractors on Operations and Logistics for Space Stations. North American's study was dated 18 March 1963. The second...more.
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© Mark Wade, 1997 - 2008 except where otherwise noted.
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