It carried no command and service module, as its purpose was to verify the design of the S-IVB rocket stage restart capability[3] that would later be used in the Apollo program to boost astronauts from Earth orbit to a trajectory towards the Moon.

Once again, the testing regimen ran into problems that had plagued AS-201, including cracked solder joints in the printed-circuit boards, requiring over 8,000[clarification needed] to be replaced.

[3] The S-IVB design test objectives were carried out on the first two orbits, and the hydrogen was found to behave mostly as predicted, with sufficient control over its location and of engine temperatures required for restart.

It was expected that the pressure difference between the two tanks (measured as high as 39.4 pounds per square inch (272 kPa) would collapse the common bulkhead separating them, as happened in a ground test.

[citation needed] Despite the destruction of the stage, the mission was classified as a success, having achieved all of its primary objectives and validating the design concept of the restartable S-IVB-500 version.