🚀 Saturn Rockets
NASA's Moon-mission launch vehicles — how they worked, stage by stage
Click a stage to learn more ↓
Select a stage
Click on any stage of the rocket (left) to see detailed information about its engines, propellants, role in the mission, and key stats.
⚙️ The Core Principle: Staged Combustion
Saturn rockets used multistage design — each stage burns its propellant and is jettisoned, so the rocket sheds dead weight as it climbs. All stages used liquid-propellant engines burning either:
RP-1 / LOX
Refined kerosene + liquid oxygen. Dense, high thrust. Used in first stages for liftoff power.
LH₂ / LOX
Liquid hydrogen + liquid oxygen. Very high efficiency (Isp). Used in upper stages for speed.