AS-201

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AS-201

Launch of AS-201, the first flight of the Apollo spacecraft and Saturn IB launch vehicle
Mission type	Suborbital test flight
Operator	NASA
Mission duration	37 minutes, 19.7 seconds
Range	8,477 kilometers (4,577 nautical miles)
Apogee	492.1 kilometers (265.7 nautical miles)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Apollo CSM-009
Manufacturer	North American Aviation
Launch mass	15,294 kilograms (33,718 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	February 26, 1966, 16:12:01 (1966-02-26UTC16:12:01Z) UTC
Rocket	Saturn IB SA-201
Launch site	Cape Kennedy LC-34
End of mission
Recovered by	USS Boxer
Landing date	February 26, 1966, 16:49:21 (1966-02-26UTC16:49:22Z) UTC
Landing site	South Atlantic Ocean 8°56′S 10°43′W / 8.933°S 10.717°W / -8.933; -10.717 (AS-201 splashdown)
Apollo program ← AS-105 AS-203 →

AS-201 (Also known as SA-201 or Apollo 1-A), flown February 26, 1966, was the first uncrewed test flight of an entire production Block I Apollo command and service module and the Saturn IB launch vehicle. The spacecraft consisted of the second Block I command module and the first Block I service module. The suborbital flight was a partially successful demonstration of the service propulsion system and the reaction control systems of both modules, and successfully demonstrated the capability of the command module's heat shield to survive re-entry from low Earth orbit.