Saturn V-C

Saturn VC

Mission Profile

Saturn V-C (Saturn VC) was a proposed nuclear-powered upper stage variant of the Saturn V launch vehicle, studied under NASA's Apollo Applications Program in the mid-1960s. Standing approximately 111 meters tall with a 10.1-meter core diameter and three stages, it would have replaced the conventional S-IVB upper stage with a nuclear thermal rocket stage to dramatically increase performance for deep space missions. Conceived as a tool for ambitious post-Apollo exploration including Mars missions, the Saturn V-C concept was never developed as the Apollo Applications Program was drastically scaled back and NASA's budget for nuclear propulsion research was curtailed in the early 1970s.