NASA Space Technology 5 (ST-5) Launches with Marotta Propulsion System On-Board

Montville, NJ (PRWEB) April 5, 2006

NASA’s New Millennium Program is a major step toward the use of a constellation or swarms of small spacecraft to accomplish science that cannot be done with a single spacecraft. The ST-5 is a constellation of three full-service micro-satellites launched in a polar elliptical orbit, each using a single thruster per craft in a blow-down cold gas system. After launch, the satellites begin only a few meters apart. Within approximately 20 days, they are placed into a formation 25 to 125 miles apart from each other to perform coordinated multi-point measurements of the Earth’s magnetic field.

Marotta’s Cold Gas Micro Thruster (CGMT) is a tiny electromechanical system designed to provide fine attitude adjustments on each of the micro-satellites. The more than 2200 psia inlet pressure CGMT provides the satellite’s propulsion with < 1 Watt Peak Power consumption using a low, five volt voltage supply bus – this reduces peak power at least 85% and weight by at leas half as much as attitude control systems being used in other missions.

“The ST-5 launch marks the beginning of a revolutionary program for NASA and the space community,” said Michael Leahan, Vice President and Chief Sales Officer of Marotta Controls. “We are proud to contribute our heritage propulsion technologies to this exciting program.”

About Marotta Controls:

Marotta Controls, Inc. has than 60 years’ leadership in providing customers with a broad array of high-performance products including high-pressure pneumatics, high-pressure pure air generators, pneumatic weapon ejection, electronic controllers, valve controllers, pressure reducers and manifolds, relief valve and check valves.

Marotta is contributor to today’s most significant military, commercial aerospace and space programs, including Ariane, Atlas, Delta, Falcon, HIIA, Pegasus and Taurus, and manned space programs such as Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Shuttle and ISS.

Marotta was recently selected to design, develop, qualify and manufacture the pneumatic weapon ejection system for the Navy’s P-8A Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft, as well as the ground maintenance motor pump controller for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Marotta is headquartered in New Jersey, USA with divisions in Cheltenham, UK and Dublin, Ireland. For more information please visit the company’s website at http://www.marotta.com.

Contact:

Tara Castorina

Marotta Controls, Inc.

973-334-7800 x506

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