Polaris Intelligence
Polaris
Intelligence
About
Ctrl K
Sign in
© Polaris Intelligence 2026
PrivacyTermsAdmin
Launch Vehicles
Vehicle family profile

Scout

Family-level launch record combining canonical variants, historical missions, public cadence forecasts, and available payload performance specs.

Manufacturer unknownRetired
Admin
Variants
13
Canonical variants linked to this family.
Historical missions
65
Missions in the public mission table with actual launch dates.
Peak listed capacity
Unknown
Maximum payload capacity across listed variants and orbits.

Launch Cadence

Historical missions are grouped by actual launch year. Forecast cadence uses family-level launch-rate rows.

YearHistorical missionsForecast launches
196850
196920
197030
197150
197210
197310
197410
197610

Performance Specs

Payload capacity by variant and target orbit when structured capacity rows are available.

VariantOrbitCapacityAltitudeInclinationSource

No performance specs

No structured payload capacity rows are linked to this vehicle family.

Recent Missions

Latest launched missions using variants in this family.

MissionVariantLaunch
P76-5 Mission
Scout B-1
May 22, 1976
Ariel 5 Mission
Scout B-1
Oct 15, 1974
NNS O-20 (N-15)
Scout A-1
Oct 30, 1973
Triad

Variants

Canonical variants rolled up into this launch vehicle family.

VariantStagesMissionsStatus
Blue Scout II
Not stated1Retired
Scout A
Not stated11Retired
Scout A-1
Not stated1Retired
Scout B
Not stated20Retired
Scout B-1 F
Sep 2, 1972
Ariel 4 Mission
Scout B-1 F
Dec 11, 1971
Explorer 45
Scout B
Nov 15, 1971
Eole Mission
Scout B-1 F
Aug 16, 1971
Explorer 44
Scout B
Jul 8, 1971

Forecasted Missions

Upcoming mission rows with announced launch timing.

MissionVariantAnnounced

No forecasted missions

No upcoming announced mission rows are linked to this vehicle family.

Scout B-1
Not stated2Retired
Scout B-1 F
Not stated3Retired
Scout X-1
Not stated4Retired
Scout X-2
Not stated1Retired
Scout X-2B
Not stated1Retired
Scout X-2M
Not stated3Retired
Scout X-3
Not stated5Retired
Scout X-3M
Not stated1Retired
Scout X-4
Not stated12Retired
Track
Mentions
141
All verified mentions of this launch vehicle family in source documents.
0.0-5.0
Actions

SCOUT’s Proximity Operations Algorithms aid in complex operations, provide high-accuracy onboard state propagation, and manage closed-loop optical navigation.

CapabilityValue 4.0Jan 27, 2022Autonomy Software That Makes Navigation Safer + Less Complex For Space Operators Debuts From SCOUT

SCOUT’s in-space products and services were first launched in June 2021 to allow spacecraft to see and understand objects in their surroundings.

Plan
Page7of8
Capability
Value 3.0
Jan 27, 2022
Autonomy Software That Makes Navigation Safer + Less Complex For Space Operators Debuts From SCOUT

Northrop Grumman’s MQ-8C Fire Scout deployed operationally on 2021-12-14.

PlanCapabilityValue 4.2Jan 25, 2022Northrop Grumman’s MQ-8C Fire Scout Makes Operational Deployment With The U.S. Navy

The MQ-8C Fire Scout leverages a Bell 407 commercial aircraft airframe to support affordability through reduced lifecycle costs and improved flight hour reliability.

CapabilityGeneralValue 4.2Jan 25, 2022Northrop Grumman’s MQ-8C Fire Scout Makes Operational Deployment With The U.S. Navy

The MQ-8C Fire Scout provides operators with more than 10 hours of endurance and a range of over 1,000 nautical miles.

CapabilityValue 4.5Jan 25, 2022Northrop Grumman’s MQ-8C Fire Scout Makes Operational Deployment With The U.S. Navy

The MQ-8C Fire Scout achieved initial operational capability in June 2019.

CapabilityPlanValue 4.0Jan 25, 2022Northrop Grumman’s MQ-8C Fire Scout Makes Operational Deployment With The U.S. Navy

The MQ-8C Fire Scout is equipped with a Leonardo AN/ZPY-8 (Osprey) radar that enables detection and automatic tracking of contacts at extremely long ranges, at night, and in stormy weather conditions.

CapabilityValue 4.3Jan 25, 2022Northrop Grumman’s MQ-8C Fire Scout Makes Operational Deployment With The U.S. Navy

GomSpace A/S and the European Space Agency signed a contract for the ESA SCOUT Earth Observation mission to be launched in 2024.

RelationshipsPlanValue 4.7Dec 6, 2021GomSpace + ESA Sign ESA SCOUT-1 Mission Implementation Contract

On 2021-12-02, the Hyperspace Challenge awarded Varda Space Industries $25,000 for first place, Scout $15,000 for second place, and Neutron Star Systems $10,000 for third place.

RelationshipsFinancialValue 5.0Dec 3, 2021Three startups win prize money from U.S. Space Force accelerator

SCOUT plans to begin providing local situational awareness services in space in 2021 using its SCOUT-Vision sensor solution.

PlanCapabilityValue 3.0Jun 23, 2021Press Release: Benchmark Unveils In-Space Mobility Service to Unlock OSAM Innovations

MMA HaWK arrays will support five small satellites launching on the first Space Launch System (SLS) launch later in 2021: NASA’s LunaH-Map, Lunar Flashlight, Near Earth Asteroid Scout (NEAScout), BioSentinel, and JAXA’s EQUULEUS.

PlanCapabilityValue 4.0May 12, 2021MMA Design’s HaWK Solar Arrays To Power NASA’s GEO Heliophysics Mission

ESA’s Scout mission concept adopts an agile development process with the aim of implementing a Scout mission from kick-off to launch within three years and for a maximum of 30,000,000 EUR.

PlanFinancialValue 4.2Apr 20, 2021The “Go Ahead” Given By ESA For The Second Scout Satellite Mission — HydroGNSS

Under Dr Josef Aschbacher’s leadership, Europe developed an Earth observation programme that includes all Sentinel missions as part of the EU-led Copernicus programme, all meteorological missions for EUMETSAT, and the Earth Explorer, Scout, and phi-sat missions developed for the ESA Member States.

GovernanceGeneralValue 3.5Mar 5, 2021ESA Council appoints Josef Aschbacher as next ESA Director General

The Fugro Scout will perform a range of geotechnical site investigations on the Agogo project, with work due to start early 2021-03.

PlanValue 3.4Mar 2, 2021Fugro performs environmental and geotechnical surveys offshore Angola

Roccor will supply a lightweight deployable sail for the Solar Cruiser mission that incorporates technology with flight heritage from NASA’s NanoSail-D (10 m2) and the Near-Earth Asteroid Scout sail (86 m2).

CapabilityRelationshipsValue 4.5Jan 29, 2021Redwire’s Roccor To Develop Deployable Systems For NASA’s Solar Cruiser Mission

The Near-Earth Asteroid Scout sail was scheduled to launch on the Artemis 1 mission in late 2021.

PlanValue 4.0Jan 29, 2021Redwire’s Roccor To Develop Deployable Systems For NASA’s Solar Cruiser Mission

The approval allows American Robotics to operate its automated Scout platform in energy, infrastructure, agriculture, and security markets.

LegalCapabilityGeneralValue 4.0Jan 21, 2021FAA approves fully-automated commercial drone flights for the first time

American Robotics proposed to station the Scout UA in fields at pre-surveyed sites for extended durations without a pilot co-located on-site.

PlanCapabilityValue 3.0Jan 21, 2021FAA approves fully-automated commercial drone flights for the first time

American Robotics' Scout System™ features advanced acoustic Detect-and-Avoid (DAA) technology that enables its drones to maintain a safe distance from other aircraft at all times.

CapabilityValue 4.0Jan 21, 2021FAA approves fully-automated commercial drone flights for the first time

The approval by the FAA allows American Robotics to begin safely operating its automated Scout platform for the energy, infrastructure, agriculture, and security market verticals.

LegalCapabilityGeneralValue 4.0Jan 18, 2021FAA approves American Robotics to run automated drones without human operators