AS-201

AS-201 was the first flight test of the Saturn IB launch vehicle and the first flight of any Apollo spacecraft. Carrying an uncrewed Block I Command and Service Module on a suborbital trajectory, it verified that the CSM's heat shield could survive re-entry and that the Service Propulsion System could be restarted in flight. The flight lasted 37 minutes and 20 seconds from liftoff to splashdown, recovered by USS Boxer in the South Atlantic.

Saturn IB SA-201

• First flight test of the Saturn IB launch vehicle.
• First flight test of the Block I Apollo Command and Service Module.
• Verify CSM heat-shield performance under high-speed re-entry.
• Verify Service Propulsion System (SPS) restart capability.

• https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/as201.html
• https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4029/Apollo_18-19_Saturn_IB_Launch_Vehicles.htm