March 9, 2007

The first ESPA (EELV Secondary Payload Adapter) was successfully launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station yesterday at 10:10 p.m. EST. The DoD Space Test Program (STP) 1 mission was the first Atlas V launch on an Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program mission. CSA Engineering’s ESPA ring supported the mission’s six research satellites, all of which were successfully delivered to their planned orbits.

"The successful first flight of ESPA proves a new capability that we expect to be used on future EELV missions. It opens the door for dozens of small satellites to be launched sooner and at reduced costs," according to CSA's ESPA Program Manager Joseph Maly. ESPA provides a mechanical connection for multiple small satellites, up to 400 pounds each, while carrying a large primary satellite of up to 15,000 pounds. The ring structure is mated in the launch stack between the vehicle and the primary payload. ESPA takes advantage of excess lifting capacity and available volume in most EELV launches, providing the means for secondary payloads to reach orbit.

After two successful uses on previous suborbital flights, the mission also marked the first orbital flight for CSA’s ShockRing™. On STP-1, a ShockRing™ connected Falconsat-3 to ESPA, reducing loads on key satellite components.

ESPA was developed by CSA Engineering under a Small Business Innovation Research contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/VS). During its development, extensive engineering analysis was conducted, and a qualification test program was executed to demonstrate its flightworthiness.

ESPA is CSA’s flagship product in a line of payload adapters for launch vehicles and satellites of various sizes. Among the upcoming missions employing ESPA is NASA’s Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), scheduled to fly as a secondary payload with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) in late 2008. ESPA is also planned as a structural hub for orbiting satellites. A smaller, dual payload adapter, the Composite Adapter for Shared Payload Rides (CASPAR), will undergo flight qualification testing this summer. CSA provides optional vibration and shock attenuation subsystems with its adapter products, and also sells such systems separately as part of its SoftRide product line.

The STP-1 satellite payloads supported by ESPA were Orbital Express (two satellites), STPSat-1, CFESat, FalconSat-3 and MidSTAR-1.

CSA provides products and services in vibration suppression and precision motion control including launch load attenuation systems, secondary payload adapters, ground test equipment including very low frequency suspension/isolation systems, vibration generators, hexapod positioners, finite element analysis, vibration isolation and damping, control systems, and dynamic testing. Founded in 1982, CSA emphasizes long-term relationships and has supported all major government, aerospace and defense organizations, as well as dozens of commercial companies. The company is based in Mountain View, CA, and also operates from Albuquerque, NM.