Marotta Controls Returns to the Moon with the Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost Lunar Lander
FDV060 and MV130HLT-L Valves Mark New Era of Innovation as Marotta Delivers Key Components Supporting Firefly Aerospace, a provider for NASA’s CLPS initiative
MONTVILLE, N.J., April 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Marotta Controls, a longstanding aerospace and defense innovator, today announced its critical role in Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander, which successfully touched down on the Moon on March 2, 2025. Blue Ghost and other Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) landers mark a powerful moment in the company’s history—putting Marotta back on the Moon.
“More than fifty years ago, Marotta supported NASA’s Apollo-era lander programs. Today, we once again have our components on the lunar surface—this time as part of the thriving commercial space sector,” said Patrick Marotta, President & CEO of Marotta Controls. “This milestone reflects not just our heritage, but our ability to continuously innovate for the diverse missions facing a modern space economy.”
As a commercial vendor for NASA’s CLPS initiative, Firefly’s Blue Ghost leveraged several mission-critical fluid control components from Marotta, including:
- The FDV060 Fill & Drain Valve, developed within the last four years and designed to manage the servicing of highly volatile propellants such as hydrazine and dinitrogen tetroxide (NTO). The FDV060 offers exceptional leak-tight performance, adding critical value for extended lunar transits where fuel preservation is paramount. Numerous FDV060 valves were installed across the Blue Ghost propulsion system.
- The MV130HLT-L Latching Isolation Valve, a power-efficient extension of Marotta’s CoRe Flow Controls valve platform. This latching solenoid valve introduces enhanced operational efficiencies on space vehicles relative to their power requirements. The valve maintains open or closed positions without requiring continuous power, a crucial advantage in low-power spaceflight environments.
Both products made their flight debut on the Blue Ghost mission, validating Marotta’s advanced engineering and manufacturing capabilities under the extreme demands of spaceflight.
“Blue Ghost represents a perfect intersection of tradition and progress,” said Max Wolfinger, Vice President of Space Systems, Marotta Controls. “We’re proving that our modern components are lunar-capable—reliable, leak-tight, and power-efficient. We’re tapping many decades of legacy space knowledge and expertise, and this is just the beginning.”
Marotta Controls has emerged as a propulsion vendor for CLPS providers with hardware aboard multiple lunar lander missions.
As NASA and its commercial vendors chart the path for long-term lunar infrastructure and surface exploration, Marotta is positioned to support the journey with cutting-edge fluid control technologies, from regulators to fill/drain valves to precision solenoids.
To learn more about Marotta Controls’ growing portfolio of space-qualified systems, visit https://marotta.com/markets/space.
About Marotta Controls
Founded in 1943, Marotta Controls is a fully integrated solutions provider that designs, develops, qualifies, and manufactures innovative systems and sub-systems for the aerospace and defense sectors. Our portfolio includes pressure, power, motion, fluid, and electronic controls for tactical systems, shipboard and sub-sea applications, satellites, launch vehicles, and aircraft systems. With over 200 patents, Marotta Controls continues to build on its legacy as a highly respected, family-owned small business based in the state of New Jersey. LinkedIn: Marotta Controls, Inc.
Contact:
Katee Glass
Marotta Controls, Inc.
kglass@marotta.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/95e877d7-f6d2-459a-8655-145d9732c0fa
Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost Lunar Lander
Marotta Controls FDV060 and MV130HLT-L valves play a critical role in Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander, which successfully touched down on the Moon on March 2, 2025.
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