26 February
1966: On 26 February 1966, the first Saturn 1B rocket was launched.
It was launched from Cape Canaveral, USA, on an unmanned suborbital test flight in the Apollo moon programme.
The mission demonstrated the structural integrity of the Saturn rocket and the compatibility of the launch vehicle to carry Apollo loads. It tested the separation of the first and second stages of the rocket and also the operations of Saturn's propulsion, guidance, control and electrical subsystems.
The Apollo manned missions were eventually launched by Saturn V rockets.
