USA-165 or XSS-11 (Experimental Satellite System-11) is a small, washing-machine-sized, low-cost spacecraft developed by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory's Space Vehicles Directorate to test technology for proximity operations. In particular, the satellite was designed to demonstrate "autonomous rendezvous and proximity maneuvers." In other words, it would approach, investigate, and photograph other spacecraft in Earth orbit. It would help test the feasibility of in-space inspection and repair. The spacecraft was also designed to test systems that would allow the spacecraft to maneuver autonomously. USA-165 was built by

Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It ...

and weighed 125 kg with an excess of 600 m/s delta-v. USA-165 was launched into

Low Earth Orbit A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an orbit around Earth with a period of 128 minutes or less (making at least 11.25 orbits per day) and an eccentricity less than 0.25. Most of the artificial objects in outer space are in LEO, with an altitude never mor ...

on April 11, 2005, on a Minotaur rocket and remained in its primary orbit for over eighteen months, but then in December 2006 it was maneuvered into a disposal orbit and lost to satellite spotters. USA-165 was later rediscovered by amateur satellite watcher Kevin Fetter. The satellite re-entered the atmosphere on November 11, 2013. The NASA GRAIL spacecraft design was based on XSS-11 design.

References

External links

Space.com NewsXSS-11 micro satelliteLOST AND FOUND: XSS-11 SPYSAT
Spacecraft launched in 2005 Spacecraft launched by Minotaur rockets USA satellites Spacecraft which reentered in 2013 {{US-spacecraft-stub

See also

References

External links