Saturn C-3

Saturn C3

Mission Profile

The Saturn C-3 was a proposed NASA heavy-lift launch vehicle studied in the mid-1960s as a potential competitor to the Saturn C-5 (Saturn V) for crewed lunar missions, incorporating five J-2 engines on its second stage. Proposed as a three-stage configuration standing 81 m tall with a 6.6 m diameter, it was evaluated under several lunar mission architecture concepts including Earth Orbit Rendezvous approaches. Though not selected as the Saturn C-5/Saturn V was ultimately chosen for the Apollo program, the Saturn C-3 studies significantly advanced NASA's understanding of large cryogenic upper stages and multi-stage mission planning for lunar exploration.