29 January 1964: Saturn-Apollo 5 (Saturn I S.A.-5) lifted off from Florida's Cape Kennedy Air Force Station, the first flight of a Block II Saturn I, the first flight with multiple live stages, & the first orbital flight; the S-I ("S-One") first stage had a larger fuel capacity than the Block I's & fins for aerodynamic stability; the S-IV second stage became the largest satellite yet orbited, burning up on 30 April 1966.
Commentary: In a speech delivered on 21 November 1963, the day before he was assassinated, President Kennedy pointed to the upcoming Saturn-Apollo 5 as the flight when the United States would overtake the Soviet Union in raw boost capacity.
Saturn-Apollo 5 was the first Apollo Program launch since Cape Canaveral was renamed Cape Kennedy, in the slain president's honor.
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