Moog Marks 25 Years Since ESPA Ring Design Milestone for Space Rideshare

At a glance

Moog marked 25 years since the ESPA ring, the hardware that lets several satellites share one rocket launch, passed its design review. The ring finished that review in 2001.

Key points

1. 1

   ESPA development started in 1999 as a joint effort between government and industry.

2. 2

   The ring uses space under main satellites that was previously unused to carry extra payloads.

3. 3

   This lowered launch costs and gave commercial, government, and defense missions more flexibility.

4. 4

   Moog still offers several ESPA configurations, including Standard ESPA, ESPA Heavy, and ESPA Grande.

Why it matters

Cheaper access to orbit lets smaller companies and research groups carry out space missions.