Saturn C-2

Saturn C2

Mission Profile

The Saturn C-2 was an early NASA concept studied in the early 1960s as a medium-heavy lift variant of the Saturn family, intended as a bridge between the Saturn I and the much larger Saturn C-5 under consideration for lunar missions. Proposed as a three-stage configuration standing 76 m tall with a 6.6 m diameter, the Saturn C-2 would have used refined H-1 and J-2 engines to deliver substantial payloads to Earth orbit and potentially lunar trajectories. Though not selected for development as the Saturn IB and Saturn V configurations were ultimately chosen, the C-2 studies advanced NASA's understanding of large-scale cryogenic multistage rocket engineering during the critical Apollo planning phase.