Super-Jupiter

American orbital launch vehicle. The very first design that would lead to Saturn. A 1.5 million pound thrust booster using four E-1 engines - initial consideration of using a single USAF F-1 engine abandoned because of development time. Existing missile tankage was clustered above the engines.

The design effort began in April 1957, with variants studied with a single F-1 engine, four E-1 engines, or 8-9 H-1 engines. In at least one variant the second stage was powered by a single E-1 engine, and the third stage by an S-4, a variant of the Rocketdyne LR105. The propellant tankage seems to have consisted of a cluster of Redstone tanks, given the total diameter indicated. The empty masses of the stages seem remarkably optimistic. In the event, ARPA indicated that they did not want the two year delay waiting for E-1 development would entail, and Von Braun's team turned to a cluster of 8 H-1 engines in the first stage and two in the second. This was designated Juno-V and led to the Saturn series. Super-Jupiter withered away by September 1959.

LEO Payload: 11,000 kg (24,000 lb) to a 185 km orbit at 28.00 degrees. Flyaway Unit Cost 1985$: 14.000 million.

Stage Data - Super-Jupiter

• Stage 1. 1 x Super-Jupiter. Gross Mass: 317,600 kg (700,100 lb). Empty Mass: 19,600 kg (43,200 lb). Thrust (vac): 7,538.300 kN (1,694,677 lbf). Isp: 290 sec. Burn time: 110 sec. Isp(sl): 260 sec. Diameter: 5.23 m (17.15 ft). Span: 5.23 m (17.15 ft). Length: 22.00 m (72.00 ft). Propellants: Lox/Kerosene. No Engines: 4. Engine: E-1. Status: Development 1958. Comments: Earliest member of what would become the Saturn family. Masses estimated.

• Stage 2. 1 x Titan 1-1. Gross Mass: 76,203 kg (167,998 lb). Empty Mass: 4,000 kg (8,800 lb). Thrust (vac): 1,467.908 kN (329,999 lbf). Isp: 290 sec. Burn time: 138 sec. Isp(sl): 256 sec. Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Span: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Length: 16.00 m (52.00 ft). Propellants: Lox/Kerosene. No Engines: 2. Engine: LR-87-3. Status: Out of Production.

• Stage 3. 1 x Titan 1-2. Gross Mass: 28,939 kg (63,799 lb). Empty Mass: 1,725 kg (3,802 lb). Thrust (vac): 355.863 kN (80,001 lbf). Isp: 308 sec. Burn time: 225 sec. Isp(sl): 210 sec. Diameter: 2.26 m (7.41 ft). Span: 2.26 m (7.41 ft). Length: 9.80 m (32.10 ft). Propellants: Lox/Kerosene. No Engines: 1. Engine: LR-91-3. Status: Out of Production.