Momentus Secures SDA Contract Modification on Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicle Development for DOD

The Space Development Agency has awarded Momentus a contract modification to continue work on tailoring the company’s Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicle to Department of Defense payloads and missions. According to John Rood, Momentus CEO, Vigoride offers flexibility, payload capacity and power suited for various national security missions, such as space situational awareness, surveillance and reconnaissance. 

In August 2023, Momentus won an SDA Small Business Innovation Research task valued at $746,073, with an option for an additional $1.2 million for further work. The work on the modified contract sets the pace for a rapid transition for in-space flight demonstration of Vigoride’s capabilities for DOD requirements, Momentus said Thursday. 

The contract expansion also opens to DOD the opportunity to consider the potential communications and missile tracking use of the M-1000 satellite bus, the design of which is based on the space-tested Vigoride, the company added.

NASA tapped Vigoride for the 2023 launch of two 1.5U cubesats under Aerospace Corp.’s Low-Latitude Ionosphere/Thermosphere Enhancements in Density mission. 

Besides government customers, Momentus is also providing in-space infrastructure services to private commercial satellite enterprises like Xona Space Systems.