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East Aurora, N.Y. — Moog Inc. (NYSE: MOG.A and MOG.B) marks 25 years since the Evolved Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) ring completed its Critical Design Review in 2001. The pioneering technology helped advance space rideshare by enabling multiple payloads to share a launch and broadening access to orbit for commercial, government, and defense missions.
Development of ESPA began in 1999 through a collaborative government-industry initiative, culminating in the successful completion of its Critical Design Review on January 18, 2001. The ESPA ring enabled launch vehicles to carry multiple secondary payloads by efficiently using previously unused volume beneath primary satellites. This approach lowered costs and increased mission flexibility, supporting commercial satellite constellations, technology demonstrations, and critical defense operations.
“ESPA helped redefine access to space by enabling additional payloads to share a launch with primary missions. Its impact continues across commercial, government, and military space—and its story reflects the value of enduring collaboration between Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) and industry partners such as Moog,” said Dr. Darren Raspa, chief historian, AFRL Space and Directed Energy Systems.
Over the past 25 years, the ESPA family has evolved into a versatile, modular platform supporting varied payload sizes and interface configurations. ESPA-derived designs have also served as the structural foundation for spacecraft buses. Today, the platform continues to support mission planning for NASA, the U.S. government, and commercial space ventures worldwide.
Moog continues to offer a family of ESPA configurations, including Standard ESPA, ESPA Heavy, and ESPA Grande, designed to accommodate evolving payload and mission requirements. The platform’s modular architecture and adaptable interfaces support rideshare missions, payload integration, and spacecraft applications across the growing space market.
“The ESPA ring began as a technical solution to a practical challenge: maximizing every launch opportunity,” said Timothy Pargett, general manager, Moog Payload Adapters and Isolation business. “Today, it stands as a cornerstone of how missions, large and small, gain cost-effective, reliable access to orbit through rideshare. Its enduring legacy reflects visionary innovation and trusted partnerships across the aerospace community.”
In conjunction with the anniversary, a Moog flight-qualified ESPA ring will be on display at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History in Albuquerque, N.M., from November 7, 2026, through January 10, 2027.
Museum visitors will have the opportunity to see firsthand the hardware that helped advance rideshare and enable diverse space missions.
As ESPA enters its next chapter, Moog continues to advance spacecraft payload integration and develop adaptable solutions that expand flexible, cost-effective access to orbit for future space exploration and defense missions.
About Moog Inc. Moog is a worldwide designer, manufacturer, and systems integrator of high-performance precision motion and fluid controls and control systems. Moog’s high-performance systems control military and commercial aircraft, satellites, and space vehicles, launch vehicles, defense systems, missiles, automated industrial machinery, marine, and medical equipment. Additional information about the Company can be found at www.moog.com or www.moog.com/space .
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