Moog Inc. (MOG.A and MOG.B) has announced that the company’s space products played a critical role in the successful landing of NASA’s Perseverance Rover on Mars. Perseverance is NASA’s latest mission to explore Mars and builds on the success of the 2012 Mars Curiosity Rover Mission.
The Moog team designed, built, and tested several components essential to the mission. During the final descent, Moog throttle valve assemblies controlled the entry spacecraft’s engines. The spacecraft entered the atmosphere at 12,500 miles per hour, stabilized, and lowered the Perseverance Rover until it successfully touched down in the Jezero Crater.
Moog also played a pivotal role in launching the Rover to the Red Planet. The mission blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida on July 30, 2020. Moog actuators steered the launch vehicle out of Earth’s atmosphere. Additionally, Moog rocket engines were used to steer the spacecraft on the 350-million-mile, seven-month journey carrying the Perseverance Rover, ensuring it stayed on course while traveling 55,000 miles per hour.
With the Rover now safely on the Red Planet, Moog technology will continue to support the mission. Moog valves and filters will help keep the Rover’s drill clean while digging for samples, over one Mars year, which is 687 Earth Days.
