XSS 11

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XSS 11
XSS 11
Type: Experimental satellite
Country: United StatesUnited States United States
Operator: US Air Force
COSPAR-ID : 2005-011A
Mission dates
Dimensions: 138 kg
Begin: April 11, 2005, 13:35 UTC
Starting place: Vandenberg Air Force Base
Launcher: Minotaur-1
Status: burned up
Orbit data
Rotation time : 102.1 min
Orbit inclination : 98.8 °
Apogee height :  875 km
Perigee height :  839 km

XSS 11 ( E x perimental S atellite S ystem 11 , also known as USA-165 called) was a small, military experimental satellite to the Air Force Research Laboratory of the US Air Force to test is designed to autonomous proximity operations to other spacecraft. In particular, the tried and tested technologies should be used in in-orbit repair, inspection and reconnaissance.

XSS 11 builds on the earlier XSS 10 mission and has a similar task to the NASA DART satellite, which was developed at the same time .

construction

XSS 11 was built by Lockheed Martin and weighed 138 kg at launch. The propulsion system had a speed change capacity ( delta v ) of more than 600 m / s. The satellite had a cuboid structure and had three-axis position control . The power supply was ensured by two fold-out solar cell panels that could not be swiveled.

The instrument for the rendezvous operations was a LIDAR sensor. A communication transponder built by the Naval Research Laboratory as well as a camera and a star sensor were on board as an additional payload .

mission

Fourth stage of the Minotaur-1 launcher captured by XSS 11

XSS 11 was launched on April 11, 2005 with a Minotaur-1 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base into a low orbit of 839 × 875 km and an inclination of 98.8 ° and carried out its experiments for 18 months.

Initially, XSS 11 performed maneuvers around the fourth stage of the Minotaur-1 launcher, which went into orbit with the satellite. The satellite should then carry out rendezvous maneuvers with six to eight other objects . Except for the successful rendezvous with the upper stage of the launcher, no mission results were published.

The satellite burned up on November 11, 2013.

controversy

The ability to carry out autonomous approaches to other, non-cooperative satellites makes it possible to use satellites such as the XSS 11 as anti-satellite weapons that can destroy enemy satellites by ramming them. The US Air Force was repeatedly accused in the media that the technology testing at XSS 11 was merely a cover for the development of such a weapon.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ US Space Objects Registry XSS-11 (USA 165) ( Memento from February 23, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ Depending on the source, the stated masses vary between 100 kg and 145 kg