ESPA, the Secondary Payload Adapter for Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles, addresses two of the major problems currently facing the launch industry: the vibration environment of launch vehicles, and the high cost of putting satellites into orbit. (1) During the 1990s, billions of dollars have been lost due to satellite malfunctions, resulting in total or partial mission failure, which can be directly attributed to vibration loads experienced by payloads during launch. Flight data from several recent launches have shown that whole- spacecraft launch isolation is an excellent solution to this problem. (2) Despite growing worldwide interest in small satellites, launch costs continue to hinder the full exploitation of small satellite technology. Many small satellite users are faced with shrinking budgets, limiting the scope of what can be considered an 'affordable' launch opportunity.
ESPA: EELV secondary payload adapter with whole-spacecraft isolation for primary and secondary payloads
Smart Structures and Materials 2000: Damping and Isolation ; 2000 ; Newport Beach,CA,USA
Proc. SPIE ; 3989
2000-04-27
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
EELV Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA)
SPIE | 2000
|EELV Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) [4136-03]
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2000
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