Mycroft is an experimental satellite built by Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and is flown via the STP (Space Test Program) to demonstrate satellite inspection.
Mycroft is the 4th generation experimental Space Situational Awareness (SSA) spacecraft that builds upon technology, knowledge, and lessons learned from XSS-10 (2003), XSS-11 (2005), and ANGELS (2014).It is built on an Orbital ATK ESPASat bus.
Mycroft will demonstrate early orbit determination self inspection capabilities by inspecting the EAGLE satellite, which carried Mycroft into orbit. It will perform close operation within 10 km of EAGLE.
Mycroft was launched in 2018 as a deployable payload on the EAGLE satellite on the AFSPC 11 mission on an Atlas-5(551)¹ rocket. Soon after reaching orbit, it was deployed from EAGLE. The identification of Mycroft as USA 285 is tentative.
In October 2019 it was announced that Mycroft will also be used to examine the unresponsive S5 microsatellite.
| Nation: | USA |
|---|---|
| Type / Application: | Technology |
| Operator: | AFRL |
| Contractors: | AFRL; Orbital ATK (bus) |
| Equipment: | |
| Configuration: | ESPASat |
| Propulsion: | |
| Power: | Deployable solar array, batteries |
| Lifetime: | |
| Mass: | ~100 kg |
| Orbit: | 38992 km × 38992 km, 0.0° |
| Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mycroft (USA 285 ?) | 2018-036E | 14.04.2018 | CC SLC-41 | Atlas-5(551)¹ | with CBAS 1, EAGLE, USA 286, USA 287 |
