Moog Provides Critical Hardware and Services for ORBCOMM Generation 2 Satellites
22 December 2015
East Aurora, N.Y
Moog Inc. (NYSE: MOG.A and MOG.B) Space and Defense Group provided critical hardware and services to Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), the prime contractor and spacecraft bus manufacturer of eleven ORBCOMM (Nasdaq: ORBC) Generation 2 (OG2) satellites, completing its next generation satellite constellation. The satellites were designed and manufactured at SNC’s Louisville, Colorado facility. ORBCOMM’s OG2 launch took place today from Launch Complex 40 (LC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle.
The eleven spacecraft, and the previous six spacecraft launched in July 2014, include a complete Moog propulsion system. Both launches rely on a modular Satellite Dispenser built on multiple Moog EELV Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) rings. The Dispenser protects the entire payload “stack” from launch vehicle vibrations and shock using a Moog SoftRide vibration isolation system. In addition, Moog provided the Dispenser electrical harness and performed the integration of the Dispenser/spacecraft assembly at the SpaceX CCAFS facility.
The Moog propulsion system is based on the Moog MONARC line of thrusters. This line of thrusters has been successfully providing attitude control and station-keeping for spacecraft, missile defense and upper stage applications since 1971 with over 450 of this variant delivered out of 3,000 plus for the entire product line.
The Moog propulsion system uses a Moog Rolling Metal Diaphragm (RMD) propellant tank. The aluminum RMD tank line was originally designed for missile defense applications requiring precise center of gravity and slosh control but has since been adapted for spacecraft applications. This industry unique tank provides a lower cost alternative to conventional titanium propellant tanks.
Moog designed and fabricated the propulsion module to be a “bolt on” system minimizing the integration and test time at the spacecraft level. This modular propulsion system design can easily be modified for other applications.
The Moog ESPA, first launched in 2007, has enabled missions from low-Earth orbit (LEO) to the Moon and established standards for secondary payloads, spawning the standard of “ESPA class” spacecraft. This versatile design can be used for Ride Share opportunities, multiple payload launches as with OG2, a modular spacecraft structural bus as with LCROSS, or the platform for a “free flyer” as for the Air Force EAGLE program. This launch was the first time three ESPAs were launched together.
The Moog SoftRide system has flown over 30 times since 1998 on ten different launch vehicles, isolating spacecraft and payloads from the rough launch vibration, shock, and structure-borne acoustic environment associated with the launch. The SoftRide system uses a series of isolators ‘tuned’ to the launch vehicle environment and properties of the payload, in this case three ESPAs and eleven OG2 spacecraft. The SoftRide system allows the spacecraft design to be focused on the mission and not the first several minutes of the launch.
Moog engineers and technicians supported SNC during factory integration and test in addition to performing launch site integration of the spacecraft to the ESPA/SoftRide Dispenser. Moog engineers perform the mechanical integration of the OG2 spacecraft to the ESPAs and electrical harnessing and checkouts for the dispensing system that deploys the spacecraft into the correct orbits.
Moog Inc. is a worldwide designer, manufacturer, and integrator of precision control components and systems. Moog’s high-performance systems control military and commercial aircraft, satellites and space vehicles, launch vehicles, missiles, automated industrial machinery, wind energy, marine and medical equipment. Additional information about the company can be found at www.moog.com. Additional information about Moog’s Space Sector can be found atwww.moog.com/space.