NASA, Momentus successfully deploy payloads from SpaceX Transporter-7 mission

Momentus Inc., a U.S. commercial space company offering orbital transportation and in-space infrastructure services, has successfully deployed all customer payloads from its Vigoride-6 Orbital Service Vehicle. This vehicle was launched in April 2023 aboard the SpaceX Transporter-7 mission. This feat brings the total number of customer satellites deployed by Momentus over three missions in the past year to 15.

The company also has put three Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicles (OSVs) into orbit. These initial missions primarily served to test the performance of the Vigoride OSV, however, they also facilitated the orbiting of multiple customer satellites.

Krishnan Anand, Vice President of Program Management at Momentus, shared excitement for the upcoming testing of the Tape Spring Solar Array (TASSA). The technology aims to reduce power generation costs by 50%, thereby helping to decrease vehicle production costs and streamline on-orbit operations.

Momentus marks deployment of all customer payloads from Vigoride-6 Orbital Service Vehicle. Photo courtesy of SpaceX-Imagery from Pixabay.

During the Vigoride-6 mission, two CubeSats were deployed into Low-Earth Orbit as part of NASA‘s LLITED (Low-Latitude Ionosphere/Thermosphere Enhancements in Density) mission. Despite an early release and a slight change in inclination, the CubeSats are functional and the team is able to operate the onboard science instruments. Momentus conducted a thorough investigation into the root cause, identifying human error in software command mapping, and is taking corrective action.

Momentus is currently operating its Vigoride-5 spacecraft that launched in January 2023. It continues to provide hosted payload services to Caltech’s Solar Power Project Demonstrator (SSPD) mission.

Looking forward, Momentus’ next flight is planned for no earlier than November 2023 aboard the SpaceX Transporter-9 mission, with the aim to place three satellites into Low-Earth Orbit for three different customers. Moreover, the launch of Vigoride-7 OSV, initially scheduled for October 2023, has been rescheduled to SpaceX’s Transporter-10 mission targeted for no earlier than February 2024, with the promise of better mission economics and customer satisfaction.