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CSA Engineering has developed a vibration isolation system for use on a medium launch vehicle (Delta II class)
which will reduce structure-borne lateral loads imposed on a spacecraft from launch vehicles. Whole-spacecraft isolation is a
challenging problem requiring a great deal of system-level and detail design engineering. The concept was to incorporate an
isolation system into the payload attach fitting (PAF), which is the structure that connects the spacecraft to the launch vehicle.
This program used actual models of spacecraft and launch vehicles. Selected launch environment loads were used in the design trade
studies. At the conclusion of the design phase, complete coupled-loads analyses were also performed by McDonnell Douglas Aerospace
to verify the performance of the isolation system. Full-scale prototype hardware (69 inches in diameter) was fabricated and tested
to verify the analytical models. The isolated payload attach fitting was one-for-one replacement for the original, and flight
version will weigh only 5% more than a conventional fitting.
EELV Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA)
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