Miranda, also known as X-4, is a British satellite in low Earth orbit. The satellite was launched in March 1974 as an engineering test bed of technologies in orbit.[2]
| Names | X4 |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1974-013A  |
| SATCAT no. | 07213[1] |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Hawker Siddeley Dynamics |
| Launch mass | 92 kilograms (203 lb)[2] |
| Power | 2 deployable solar arrays |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 9 March 1974, 02:22:00 (1974-03-09UTC02:22Z) UTC |
| Rocket | Scout D-1 |
| Launch site | Vandenberg SLC-5 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth Orbit |
| Eccentricity | 0.01403 |
| Perigee altitude | 714 kilometres (444 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 916 kilometres (569 mi) |
| Inclination | 97.8 degrees |
| Period | 101.2 minutes |
| Epoch | 8 March 1974, 08:22:00 UTC [3] |
Miranda was named after a character in the Shakespeare play The Tempest,[4][5] just like Prospero (spacecraft) and Ariel 1.
Miranda used propane cold gas thrusters for attitude control.[1]
It contained a Canopus star sensor to determine the reflectivity and interference caused by the propane.[1]
Miranda was due to be launched by a British Black Arrow rocket, but due to the project's cancellation the payload was instead launched on the NASA-owned rocket Scout.[5]
Designed as an engineering test bed for various technologies in orbit, Miranda carried various sensors and detectors.[2]
The satellite is now non-active, but remains in low Earth orbit.
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