On November 9th, 1967 the Apollo 4 mission lifted off, marking the first flight of the Saturn V launch vehicle.
The uncrewed flight reached an altitude of 11, 234 miles. The mission tested the Apollo Saturn V launch vehicle as well as the Command and Service Module CM 017. During the test, the spacecraft made two orbits, was placed on a trajectory that mimicked the approach that an Apollo spacecraft would make returning from the Moon, and then was recovered in the Pacific Ocean. Apollo 4 lasted 8 1/2 hours, reentering the atmosphere at 24,917 miles per hour. The flight qualified the heat shield for lunar flight, and demonstrated the successful design of the Saturn V, the world's biggest rocket.
What Happened to Apollo 2 and 3?
Apollo 4 took place just nine months after the Apollo 1 tragedy. After astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee lost their lives during a preflight test originally known as the Apollo-Saturn 204 (AS-204) mission, NASA's Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight, Dr. George E. Mueller, announced that the mission would be known as Apollo 1, and that the first Saturn V launch, scheduled for November 1967, would be known as Apollo 4. The eventual launch of AS-204 became known as the Apollo 5 mission, and no missions or flights were ever designated Apollo 2 and 3.
The Apollo 4 mission marked the first flight of the Saturn V Launch Vehicle. The "V" designation originates from the five powerful F-1 engines that powered the first stage of the rocket. The Saturn V remains the largest and most powerful U.S. expendable launch vehicle ever built.