The twin missions underscore NASA’s growing partnership with private industry to accelerate technological innovation in orbit.
The first contract, valued at US$5.1 million, was awarded on 26 September under NASA’s Flight Opportunities program. The project will support the Commercial Orbital System for Microgravity In-Space Crystallisation (COSMIC) demonstration, a pioneering experiment that aims to harness the unique microgravity conditions of space to improve crystal growth for pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and advanced materials.
Momentus will deploy its Vigoride orbital service vehicle to host the COSMIC payloads, offering a modular, precision-controlled platform for extended microgravity experiments and early-stage commercial manufacturing in low-Earth orbit.
“Momentus is proud to support NASA and the COSMIC mission with our versatile Vigoride platform,” said John Rood, CEO of Momentus. “This mission represents the next step toward unlocking the full potential of microgravity for commercial manufacturing and scientific innovation.”
The COSMIC project is a collaborative effort between SpaceWorks Enterprises and Astral Materials, both winners of the NASA TechLeap Prize: Space Technology Payload Challenge earlier this year. Their payload will demonstrate a novel semiconductor production technique, building on decades of microgravity research aboard the International Space Station and marking a significant step towards commercialising in-space manufacturing.
Just days later, on 29 September, Momentus secured a second NASA contract worth US$2.5 million through the Armstrong Flight Research Center to perform an on-orbit demonstration of a rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE), a potentially game-changing propulsion system designed by Juno Propulsion.
The RDRE thruster, developed under NASA’s TechLeap Prize initiative, uses non-toxic propellants such as nitrous oxide and ethane, offering a safer and more efficient alternative to traditional hydrazine-based fuels. Unlike conventional engines, RDREs utilise detonation waves to combust propellants more effectively, achieving higher performance and fuel efficiency.
Momentus will again provide its Vigoride platform and handle in-orbit operations, enabling Juno Propulsion to conduct the first-ever space demonstration of RDRE technology.
“We’re proud to be selected by NASA to perform this key mission to advance transformative space technologies,” Rood said. “These latest contracts mark our sixth and seventh awards from NASA in recent months and build on our ongoing work with US defence organisations, including DARPA, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and SpaceWERX. Momentus is now firmly positioned at the forefront of the next wave of space innovation.”
Together, the two missions position Momentus as a key player in the emerging space manufacturing and propulsion economy, bridging commercial and government interests in the race to expand human and industrial activity in orbit.