The Vigoride spacecraft will carry 10 government and commercial payloads designed to demonstrate advanced capabilities, including autonomous rendezvous, in-space assembly, satellite inspection, next-generation computing and persistent communications. The mission supports contracts with NASA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and SpaceWERX, a part of the US Space Force, alongside multiple private-sector partners.
Momentus chief executive John Rood said the mission could represent a “historic leap forward” in orbital logistics, helping enable satellite servicing, refuelling, debris removal and autonomous operations as space becomes increasingly contested and commercially active.
Key demonstrations include NASA-funded satellite formation flying led by the NASA Johnson Space Center and power and propulsion technology testing backed by the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center.
Commercial payloads include advanced spacecraft computing from Portal Space Systems, satellite refuelling and tracking technologies from Orbit Fab, and scalable power systems from CisLunar Industries. Communications and AI systems from Solstar Space Company and DPhi Space will also be tested.
Momentus will additionally trial a spacecraft propellant tank produced using advanced metal 3D printing by Velo3D, potentially lowering costs and accelerating spacecraft production.
With capacity to host more than 300 kilograms of payloads, Vigoride is designed to support increasingly complex military, civil and commercial missions in low-Earth orbit, reflecting growing demand for flexible and autonomous space infrastructure.