9/11 Tribute in Light technician reveals the making of the ‘profound’ installation: 'We're very proud'

Each year, the 9/11 Tribute in Light installation illuminates Lower Manhattan’s skies on the anniversary of the World Trade Center terrorist attacks.

The tribute has become a staple in honoring the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001 — and Italian lighting company MaxVH ensures that the lights are just as vibrant year after year.

Matteo Moratti, a MaxVH technician in charge of the project, shared in an interview with Fox News Digital the details of how the display is brought to life.

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The MaxVH lighting team, based in Turin, Italy, spends 10 days in New York City to prep for the event. 

Each beam of light is made up of 44 five-foot-tall light boxes that measure 3.5 feet in width and length.

Each beam shoots a few miles high into the sky from its base, where the light boxes are positioned into squares — simulating the shape and orientation of the North and South Towers.

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The "perceivable power" of each xenon light bulb is eight kilowatts – or 8,000 watts – but the actual consumption of power is "way less" due to special equipment that makes the machines more efficient, the technician said.

The light machines are kept in Manhattan year-round to be "maintained properly," Moratti said.

The machines used in the current light display were first purchased by the Italian company Spacecannon in 2008 and were custom-made for the 9/11 memorial event.

There were 90 boxes originally created to make up the installation, leaving two spares in case of emergency, Moratti counted.

"We can replace one or two lights that very rarely … need repairing," he said.

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The lights are traditionally turned on before sunset on Sept. 11 and turned off at sunrise the next morning.

Moratti is the son of MaxVH owner and lead technician Massimo Moratti, who began the Tribute in Light project in 2002.

Matteo Moratti, 25, explained how he grew up watching his father pay tribute to those lost on 9/11, which led to the project becoming an experience of "maturity" for him.

"It's the most gratifying experience for [my father] and he’s very honored to do so," Matteo Moratti said. "For me, it's just the same." 

Even though he doesn’t remember the attacks 22 years ago, Matteo Moratti said the experience of growing up with this tribute at the center of his family has been "profound."

"I was born in this field learning from my father," he added. "It means so much to me."

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Massimo Moratti previously spent 15 years as lead director of maintenance for Spacecannon, overseeing the installation of lights around the world.

He still works with his global clientele – including the 9/11 Memorial and Museum through MaxVH.

"In this company, we are able to collect all the machines, the instruments that enable us to build the new machines, so we can maintain the models like the one here in New York for a lot of years to come," said Matteo Moratti.

The son also reported that this year’s event went "smoothly" and brought in "a lot of guests" who gathered to commemorate all those who were lost. 

"We’re very proud," he said. 

Senate GOP rallies behind McCarthy's impeachment inquiry against Joe Biden: 'Web of corruption'

Several Senate Republicans are uniting in support of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's move to initiate an impeachment inquiry against President Biden despite a growing number of skeptical GOP leaders in the upper chamber.

The inquiry will determine whether there are grounds to bring formal charges (articles of impeachment) against Biden over allegations of "abuse of power, obstruction, and corruption," McCarthy said Tuesday.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Wednesday on his "Verdict with Ted Cruz" podcast that he's been "calling for the House to open impeachment inquiries for months."

"I think the evidence long ago cleared that threshold, but they finally done it," he said.

"Joe Biden's confession on tape is direct evidence that he committed one of the critical elements of bribery," Cruz later said. "Now, we don't yet have direct evidence of every element of the crime, but we have direct evidence of one of the most critical aspects of the crime, which is the quote that Joe Biden has admitted and that is unequivocally direct evidence, and it's pretty damn compelling."

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Meanwhile, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that he didn’t think "we would be down this road" if the Biden administration was "being open and transparent with everybody to begin with."

"There was a lot of information that was requested by the committee that has jurisdiction, from the Ways and Means [Committee] to Judiciary to Oversight," he said. "And the fact is, is they were slow-balling or just refusing to share the information."

If enough evidence is compiled and articles of impeachment are sent over to the upper chamber, Mullin said, "Then it's our job to put him on trial and, if so, convict him."

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said the House has "done an excellent job trying to uncover the tangled web of corruption that we've seen coming out of the Biden administration and specifically the Biden family."

"Clearly, there are facts that need further investigation," he said. "The House is headed in the right direction."

Also on Tuesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told reporters that he would probably be a "yes" vote on impeaching the president, The Messenger reported.

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"If I had any legitimate questions, and I think there are questions about the narrative, yeah, I would," he said.

"I've been involved in every impeachment in this country but one," Graham said.

Although Graham supports an inquiry, he said that "we need to have structure here" in response to McCarthy evading a floor vote before launching the inquiry. McCarthy said former Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi created that precedent when she sidestepped a vote to impeach former President Donald Trump for the second time in 2021.

Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., also said in a statement Tuesday that "serious allegations" have been elevated about Biden's "involvement with his son’s overseas business dealings that can’t be ignored."

"We need to get to the full truth, and an impeachment inquiry is the right way to do that," he said.

Conversely, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has not indicated his support of the inquiry. He told reporters Tuesday when asked about the House's effort: "I don't think Speaker McCarthy needs any advice from the Senate on how to run the House."

White House spokesperson for oversight and investigations Ian Sams slammed the effort as "extreme politics."

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"House Republicans have been investigating the President for 9 months, and they've turned up no evidence of wrongdoing. His own GOP members have said so. He vowed to hold a vote to open impeachment, now he flip flopped (sic) because he doesn't have support. Extreme politics at its worst," Sams wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The House is probing Biden’s foreign business ties with his son, Hunter, in Ukraine and China. Republicans hope to unearth bribery negotiations that suggest Biden leveraged his position as then-vice president under former President Barack Obama for personal gain.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., will lead the inquiry alongside House Oversight Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo.

Should the House vote to impeach Biden, the Senate would serve as a tribunal where senators would review evidence, listen to witnesses and cast votes for the acquittal or conviction of the impeached official.

GOP legislators may face an uphill battle as the Democrat-controlled Senate is unlikely to convict Biden. Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Wednesday called the decision to launch an impeachment inquiry "absurd."

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