Multiple Transporter-16 Payloads to be Deployed by Momentus
Vigoride OSV Integrated with a Launch Plate That Will Be Carried on the Launch Vehicle
A Vigoride OSV has been delivered to Vandenberg Space Force Base by Momentus ahead of the SpaceX Transporter-16 mission planned for next month.
“The Vigoride 7 mission with many payloads has the potential to be a historic leap forward for in-space logistics and autonomy capabilities needed for the growing space economy and military and government operations in space.”
John Rood, Momentus
The Vigoride OSV has been integrated with a launch plate that will be carried on the Falcon 9 launch vehicle. The priorities of this mission include hosting 10 payloads with a suite of cutting-edge demonstrations, including autonomous rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO), in-space assembly, advanced communications and next-generation onboard computing technologies.
These activities are being conducted under contracts with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), U.S. Department of War organizations, and commercial customers and partners, including contracts valued at approximately $4.2 million with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), an approximately $1.9 million contract with SpaceWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force, and contracts with NASA’s Johnson Space Center and Armstrong Flight Research Center.
“The Vigoride 7 mission with many payloads has the potential to be a historic leap forward for in-space logistics and autonomy capabilities needed for the growing space economy and military and government operations in space,” said Momentus CEO John Rood. “We are delighted to be hosting this large group of cutting-edge space technologies. We have a great set of customers and partners from U.S. Department of War organizations (DARPA, the Space Force, and AFRL), NASA, as well as innovative commercial space companies like Portal, Orbit Fab, CisLunar Industries, DPhi, and Solstar Space manifested to fly onboard Vigoride 7.”
All payloads will be operated through Momentus’ control center in San Jose, California, with live mission support extended through remote operations hubs for selected demonstrations. With over 300 kg of payload capacity and on-board peak power up to 3 kW, the Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicle is positioned to support increasingly complex commercial and government use cases in LEO and beyond.