H-1 (rocket engine)

H-1 engine statistics. Image credit: NASA

A liquid-propellant rocket engine, eight of which were used on the first stage of the Saturn I and Saturn IB launch vehicles. Employing liquid oxygen and RP-1 (kerosine mixture) as propellants, the gimbaled H-1 developed 830,000 newtons of thrust at sea level.

The H-1 resulted from a redesign, simplification, and modification of the S-3D, which was the Thor-Jupiter engine, by the Rocketdyne Division of North American Aviation. The first full-power H-1 engine firing took place in December 1958 at the Rocketdyne facility in Canoga Park, California. By Apr. 28, 1959, the first production H-1 engine (H-1001) had been delivered on schedule to ABMA. ABMA's first firing test of this engine, later used in the first test booster, was performed successfully on May 26, 1959.

Related entries

• F-1
• J-2

Related category

• ROCKET ENGINE TYPES

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