Crating and Transport for Flight Hardware and Ground Support Equipment

Updated October 14, 2026

What you are actually buying

A crating and transport order is several purchases that have to fit together: a design, materials and labor, a carrier service, and evidence. Each can go wrong on its own, so put each on the order.

Our logistics library explains the technical standards behind each element. This page covers how to buy them as one job. Start with the logistics hub if you want the full map.

Crate design to the load

A crate for flight hardware or GSE should be designed from the item's weight, center of gravity, fragility and handling, not picked from a catalog size. Give the crate builder those numbers and ask for the design basis in writing.

Inputs the designer needs:

• Weight and center of gravity of the item, and of any shipping fixture it rides on
• Hard points the item may be held by, from the interface drawing, and surfaces nothing may touch
• Fragility: the shock and vibration levels the hardware can take, from its own specification or test history
• How it will be handled at each end: forklift, crane, liftgate, or a hand truck through a cleanroom airlock
• Route and mode, including any international leg
• Whether the crate is single trip or must come back and be reused

For lighter loads, ASTM wood crate and box specifications give a starting point, and our crating and packaging guide covers their scope and styles. Heavier or oddly shaped items need an engineered crate with calculations for the base, skids and lift points. If the crate, or a shipping fixture inside it, will be lifted with the hardware attached, ask your program whether it is treated as lifting equipment; if it is, the design and proof test rules on our ground support equipment page apply.

Where the design cannot be proven by analysis alone, ask for a test. ASTM D4169 provides a laboratory sequence of handling and transport hazards for shipping units, run in order on the same unopened containers, and it references a distribution cycle used with MIL-STD-2073-1. A test on a dummy load of the right weight and center of gravity costs less than a damaged article.

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ISPM 15 and MIL-STD-2073-1 on the order

Two callouts settle most of the packaging requirements on a defense or export job: ISPM 15 for the wood, and MIL-STD-2073-1 for preservation. Decide both before the crate is built, because neither can be added afterward.

• ISPM 15. Require treated and marked wood for any crate that may cross a border, including a return from a foreign test site or launch site. A crate built from untreated lumber cannot be fixed at the dock.
• MIL-STD-2073-1. If your contract invokes it, put the method codes or the contract packaging data on the order rather than writing "mil spec packaging". If it does not, say "best commercial practice" and then list what you expect, because that phrase alone means different things to different packers.

The treatment schedule, the mark and the preservation method families are explained in the crating and packaging guide, and the export paperwork that travels with an international crate is covered in export shipping and Incoterms.

Shock and vibration isolation

Isolation is chosen by comparing what the route will deliver with what the hardware can take, then putting something between them that soaks up the difference. The deciding numbers are the hardware's own fragility limits, so get them from your engineering before the crate is designed.

Common approaches, from light to heavy:

• Engineered foam cushioning for small and medium items, sized for the item's weight per bearing area so the foam neither bottoms out nor stays too stiff
• Elastomer or wire rope isolators between a shipping fixture and the crate base, for heavier assemblies held by their hard points
• Spring decoupled containers for spacecraft and large instruments. NASA's small spacecraft knowledge base describes commercial spacecraft containers whose dynamic damping systems reduce shock and vibration during transport.

Two practical points. An isolated item still needs blocking and bracing so it cannot hit the crate walls at the end of its travel. And isolation tuned for road vibration can make a drop worse if it is too soft, which is why a test or a vendor analysis is worth asking for on high value hardware.

Fit a recording shock and vibration logger, not only an impact indicator, when you need to know what the hardware actually saw. The logger record answers the question every test team asks at receipt: does this unit need to be re-inspected or re-tested before use?

Humidity, temperature and nitrogen purge

Moisture, temperature swings and contamination are controlled by sealing the hardware in a barrier and controlling what is inside it. The level of control should match the hardware, from a desiccated bag for a machined part to a purged, conditioned container for a spacecraft.

• Sealed bag with desiccant and a humidity indicator. The baseline for corrosion sensitive and electronic hardware.
• Nitrogen purged bag. NASA's small spacecraft knowledge base gives a nitrogen purged, sealed ESD bag as a good baseline first layer for most CubeSats and subsystem assemblies, followed by a second ESD bag with desiccant and a humidity sensor.
• Purged or pressurized container. The same knowledge base points to commercial spacecraft containers that are temperature and humidity controlled and can be pressurized.
• Active environmental control. For the GPM Core Observatory's move in Japan, NASA described an environmental control unit on the shipping container with heaters and air conditioners to regulate temperature and humidity, and filters on the air vents.

Drier is not always better. NASA humidity testing work notes that purging, especially with dry nitrogen, can create very dry environments, and very dry air raises static risk for electronics. State an allowable humidity range, not just "dry", and say how it is recorded: indicator card, logger, or purge pressure and flow log. For precision cleaned hardware, the bag is part of the cleaning, covered on our precision and oxygen cleaning page.

Oversize loads and air ride transport

Large GSE, stage hardware and big crates often exceed legal truck dimensions, which turns a freight booking into a permitted move with a planned route. Find out early, because permits and escorts take time to arrange.

• Width. Under 23 CFR 658.15 the federal width limit on the national network is 102 inches, and states may issue special permits for wider vehicles.
• Nondivisible loads. Permits for loads over the limits are meant for loads that cannot reasonably be divided. Under 23 CFR 658.5 that means separating it would compromise its intended use, destroy its value, or take more than eight workhours to dismantle, with the applicant proving the hours. If your GSE can be split into crates under the limits, expect to be asked why it was not.
• Permits and escorts are state matters. FHWA states that the federal government does not issue oversize or overweight permits. Its pilot and escort vehicle training manual notes that escort rules are set by each state, and that the permit typically sets the travel dates and times, the route and the number of escort vehicles. A move through several states needs a permit from each.
• Air ride. Air suspension trailers reduce road shock. Ask for air ride by name on the order and confirm it on the trailer that shows up, as described in shipping flight hardware.

Give the hauler the crate dimensions including skids and lift hardware, the gross weight, the center of gravity and any tilt limit. A route survey for very tall or wide loads finds the low bridges and tight turns before the hardware does. Need dates for permitted moves belong in your schedule; our need date planner helps lay them out.

Chain of custody and escorts

Chain of custody is the signed record of who held the hardware and when; an escort is a person who keeps it. For flight hardware you usually want the first, and for high value or controlled hardware you may want both.

Two different kinds of escort get confused:

• Pilot or escort vehicles required by a state permit, whose job is traffic safety around an oversize load. They do not protect the cargo.
• A company or security escort you arrange, who travels with or behind the load, witnesses loading and unloading, and holds the custody record. This is your choice, not a permit condition.

Controlled hardware adds a reason to plan custody. Under 22 CFR 120.56, ITAR technical data can be released by visual inspection of a defense article by foreign persons, so the people who can see unpacked controlled hardware, and the documents riding with it, matter. Keep packing lists and labels free of controlled detail and keep custody with authorized U.S. persons, as set out on our controlled programs page. Seals, signatures and what to do when a seal is broken are covered in the shipping flight hardware guide, and the receiving side in our receiving inspection guide.

Insurance and declared value

Settle who carries the risk of loss and for what value before pickup, because the carrier's liability is often far below the value of flight hardware. This section is general information, not legal or insurance advice.

For interstate motor carriage, 49 U.S.C. 14706 makes the carrier liable for the actual loss or injury to the property, but allows carriers to set rates that limit liability to a value the shipper declares in writing or electronically, or that both agree in writing, where the limit is reasonable. The same section says a carrier may not set less than 9 months to file a claim or less than 2 years to bring a civil action. Carrier tariffs and bills of lading set the actual limits, so read them for each move.

• Declared value raises the carrier's limit, but it is not insurance and comes with the carrier's own exclusions
• A cargo policy should name the actual replacement value, the mode, any storage in transit and any rigging at each end
• Check exclusions for inadequate packaging, which is where a documented packaging design and pack photos pay off
• Put the delivery terms and the risk of loss on the purchase order, so everyone knows who files the claim

Note any damage or activated indicator on the delivery receipt before signing. A clean signature makes a later claim harder.

Hazmat basics for hardware shipments

Most machined hardware and GSE are not hazardous materials, but a few common items are, and the shipper must classify them correctly under the Hazardous Materials Regulations in 49 CFR. Ask the question on every order rather than assuming.

• Pressure. Tanks, accumulators and valve assemblies shipped with a gas charge can be regulated. The thresholds and the accumulator provisions are summarized in shipping flight hardware. Shipping depressurized, where the design allows, is the simplest control.
• Lithium batteries. Under 49 CFR 173.185, each lithium cell or battery must be of a type proven to meet the UN Manual of Tests and Criteria, part III, sub-section 38.3, and manufacturers and later distributors of cells and batteries made after January 1, 2008 must make a test summary available. GSE with battery powered instruments, data loggers or avionics test sets falls under this.
• Chemicals in kits. Sealants, adhesives, solvents and lubricants packed with hardware can each be regulated.

Only trained hazmat employees may classify, package, mark and sign for a regulated shipment, and air shipments add carrier rules on top. Write on the order who classifies the shipment and who signs the papers.

What to put on the purchase order

Every requirement below is one line on the order and one less argument at delivery.

1. Part number, revision, serial or lot numbers, and the packing instruction or crate drawing number
2. Weight, center of gravity, fragility limits and hard points, or a reference to the document that holds them
3. Packaging level: MIL-STD-2073-1 method codes, or best commercial practice with the materials listed
4. ISPM 15 treated and marked wood for any possible export or foreign return
5. Isolation requirement and whether a drop or vibration test, or a vendor analysis, is required
6. Environment: humidity range, temperature range, purge gas and how each is recorded
7. Indicators and loggers: type, placement and who downloads the data
8. Transport: air ride, dedicated vehicle, no terminal transfers, oversize permits, escorts and any route limits
9. Custody: seals, signatures, U.S. persons only where controlled, and any company escort
10. Hazmat: who classifies and who signs; pressure state at packing; lithium battery test summaries
11. Insurance: who holds the risk of loss, declared value and any cargo policy
12. Records: pack photos before closing, signed bills of lading, delivery receipt notes and logger files with the cert package

Our RFQ builder collects these fields alongside the rest of a request, and the PO quality flow-down template covers the quality clauses that sit beside them.

How Aerospace Sourcing handles crating and transport

We do not build crates or run trucks. We match the job to packaging, crating, container and transport suppliers whose capability fits it, and manage it to delivery.

• One quote, one point of contact and one purchase order, even when a packaging house, a crate builder and a specialized hauler are all involved
• Your packaging, environmental, custody, hazmat and export requirements flowed down to each supplier in writing
• Pack photos, seal numbers, logger data and signed transport records kept with the certificate package
• Crating combined on the same order with the parts or GSE being made, so the hardware is packed where it is accepted

For GSE built through us, see our ground support equipment page and our page for launch providers. We cannot promise a supplier for every move, and will say so if a load needs a capability we cannot match.

Request a crating and transport quote

Use the crating and transport request form with the item's weight, dimensions, center of gravity, fragility, environment, pressure state, value, origin and destination. Knowing the load and the route up front lets the crate, isolation and carrier be quoted together instead of in three rounds. A person replies within one business day. If the hardware or its data is export controlled, say so on the form and leave controlled details off.

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Part, quantity and date are enough to start. Drawings and the mutual NDA follow by reply, and controlled programs never send technical data through this site.

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Questions

Related

• Ground Support Equipment Fabrication for Launch and Spacecraft Programs
• Sourcing GSE, Pad Hardware and Fluid System Parts for Launch Providers
• Buying Precision and Oxygen Service Cleaning
• Aerospace Drafting and Design for Manufacture Reviews

Sources

• ASTM: D4169 Standard Practice for Performance Testing of Shipping Containers and Systems
• NASA SSRI Knowledge Base: spacecraft transportation
• NASA GPM: GPM loaded onto truck in Japan (shipping container ECU)
• NASA NTRS: Humidity testing for human rated spacecraft
• Cornell LII: 23 CFR 658.15 Width
• Cornell LII: 23 CFR 658.5 Definitions (nondivisible load)
• FHWA: Oversize/overweight load permits
• FHWA: Pilot/Escort Vehicle Operators Training Manual
• Cornell LII: 49 U.S.C. 14706 Liability of carriers under receipts and bills of lading
• Cornell LII: 49 CFR 173.185 Lithium cells and batteries
• Cornell LII: 22 CFR 120.56 Release