Inside NASA's Super Guppy

The massive cargo aircraft was designed in the 1960s specifically to handle oversized loads, like the body sections of the Saturn V rocket.

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, July 25, 2023 at 03:31 PM ET

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In November 2019, NASA's Super Guppy arrived at Mansfield Lahm Airport with the Orion spacecraft for Artemis I aboard. [Credit: NASA/Bridget Caswell]

Key Takeaways:

NASA's Super Guppy aircraft was instrumental in the Apollo program, specifically designed to transport oversized Saturn V rocket components, significantly reducing transport time from 18 days to just 18 hours.
Known for its massive cargo bay (25 feet in diameter, 111 feet long) and a hinged nose that opens 110 degrees for loading, the turboprop-powered Super Guppy requires a skilled crew due to its unique flight characteristics and continues to be operational today.

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On July 20, 1969, the first human being set foot on the moon. It never would have happened without the assistance of NASA’s Super Guppy. The turboprop-powered aircraft was designed in the 1960s specifically to handle oversized loads—mainly the body sections of the Saturn V rocket.

NASA’s Ray Heineman, director of flight operations and one of the pilots for the behemoth aircraft, gave FLYING a cockpit tour of the airframe that goes back to the early days of the space race—and is still flying.