| Miranda | |
| Names List: | X4 |
| Cospar Id: | 1974-013A |
| Satcat: | 07213 |
| Manufacturer: | Hawker Siddeley Dynamics |
| Launch Mass: | 92kg (203lb)[1] |
| Power: | 2 deployable solar arrays |
| Launch Date: | UTC |
| Launch Rocket: | Scout D-1 |
| Launch Site: | Vandenberg SLC-5 |
| Orbit Epoch: | 8 March 1974, 08:22:00 UTC [2] |
| Orbit Reference: | Geocentric |
| Orbit Regime: | Low Earth Orbit |
| Orbit Eccentricity: | 0.01403 |
| Orbit Periapsis: | 714km (444miles) |
| Orbit Apoapsis: | 916km (569miles) |
| Orbit Inclination: | 97.8 degrees |
| Orbit Period: | 101.2 minutes |
| Apsis: | gee |
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.[1]
Miranda was named after a character in the Shakespeare play The Tempest, just like Prospero (spacecraft) and Ariel 1.
Miranda used propane cold gas thrusters for attitude control.
It contained a Canopus star sensor to determine the reflectivity and interference caused by the propane.[3]
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.
Designed as an engineering test bed for various technologies in orbit, Miranda carried various sensors and detectors.[1]
The satellite is now non-active, but remains in low Earth orbit.