How Much Did Saturn V Weigh?

Completely fueled for liftoff, the Saturn V rocket weighed 2.8 million kilograms or 6.2 million pounds. It’s the weight of approximately 400 elephants. And Saturn V rocket was primarily built of aluminum. A total of 13 Saturn V rockets took off from 1967 until 1973, carrying Apollo missions as well as the Skylab space station. Each part of the huge rocket is used and then discharged during a mission. Just the Command Module survives to return to Earth. Planned to fly three Apollo NASA astronauts to the moon and back, the Saturn V rocket made its first test flight in 1967. 

The picture showing the mighty transporter carried the 363-foot-high Apollo 12 Saturn V space vehicle from the VAB's High Bay 3 at the start of the 3.5 mile rollout to Launch Complex 39A. The huge Saturn V transporter carried the 12.8 million pound load along the crawlerway at speeds under one mile per hour. Credit: NASA.
The picture showing the mighty transporter carried the 363-foot-high Apollo 12 Saturn V space vehicle from the VAB’s High Bay 3 at the start of the 3.5-mile rollout to Launch Complex 39A. The huge Saturn V transporter carried the 12.8 million pound load along the crawler way at speeds under one mile per hour. Credit: NASA.

How High is Saturn V?

The Saturn V rocket is 110 meters or 363 feet in height. That’s about the height of a 36-story-tall building. It is 18 meters or 60 feet higher than the Statue of Liberty.

Picture showing a to-scale size comparison of Saturn I (left), Saturn V (right), and the Statue of Liberty (center). Credit: Image Flickr:s63-00366.
Picture showing a to-scale size comparison of Saturn I (left), Saturn V (right), and the Statue of Liberty (center). Credit: Image Flickr:s63-00366.

Eyewitnesses to Saturn V rocket launches described the incredible noise, something that even the space shuttle’s rocket couldn’t match when it sent astronauts aloft during the period 1981 and 2011.

Saturn V rocket comparison in scale.

What material was the Saturn V made of?

Saturn V rocket was primarily built of aluminum. Aluminum milled plates 2014 T6 and 2219 T87. Fairings and fins were made of Titanium and 7075 T6. But there was also a range of nonmetal materials like urethane foam and even cork. All the metals were selected for their low weight and high strength characteristics. The engine metals should be high heat and sulfur resistance. Since Saturn V wasn’t meant to last, NASA was not concerned about the galvanic reaction, nor did they care about the paint finish. 

Some of the nonmetal materials used include Tedlar, a plastic finish, mylar and velcro, a variety of plastics, and synthetic rubbers. All were found on the Saturn V. The mylar acts as a reflecting insulator to keep cryogenic fuels from overheating. The rocket used different colors, and each one had its only properties for reflectivity. They are high in high zinc content and copper. Their short-term durability was due to the application of coropon, a zinc chromate primer. But the primers provided better protection than the finished coats. Moreover, they also used cork, and it was selected for its high level of heat resistance and its lightweight.  

How Much Fuel Did Saturn V?

  • 770,000 Liters of kerosene fuel and 1.2 Million liters of liquid oxygen.
  • 203,400 Gallons of kerosene fuel and 318,000 gallons of liquid oxygen.
Picture showing liftoff of the Apollo 17 Saturn V Rocket from Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center in Florida, at 12:33 a.m., December 7, 1972. Apollo 17, the final lunar landing mission, was the first night launch of a Saturn V rocket. Credit: NASA.
Picture showing liftoff of the Apollo 17 Saturn V Rocket from Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center in Florida, at 12:33 a.m., December 7, 1972. Apollo 17, the final lunar landing mission, was the first night launch of a Saturn V rocket.
Credit: NASA.

The Saturn V rocket’s first stage carries 203,400 gallons or 770,000 liters of kerosene fuel and 318,000 gallons or 1.2 million liters of liquid oxygen needed for combustion. At blastoff, the stage’s five F-1 rocket engines ignite and produce 7.5 million pounds of thrust.

Picture from June 27, 1969, shows “I Dream of Jeannie” star Barbara Eden appears at Cape Kennedy and Coca Beach, where she poses before the Apollo 11 Saturn V. Credit: UPI Telephoto.
Picture from June 27, 1969, shows “I Dream of Jeannie” star Barbara Eden appears at Cape Kennedy and Coca Beach, where she poses before the Apollo 11 Saturn V. Credit: UPI Telephoto.

Thanks for reading this short article about the basic facts of NASA’s amazing Saturn V rocket. If you want to know more about this great rocket, head over to this article: Why Did The Saturn V Rocket Painted Black And White?

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