Momentus Inc., a U.S. commercial space company offering satellites, satellite components and in-space transportation and services, announced that it was awarded a $2.5 million contract on September 29, 2025 by NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center to conduct a demonstration on-orbit of a new thruster called the Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE).
“We’re proud to be selected by NASA to perform this key mission to advance the development of transformative space technologies,” said John Rood, CEO of Momentus. “This latest contract is the sixth contract we have been awarded in recent months by NASA and along with contracts we are currently executing to support U.S. Defense Department organizations like the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) and the Air Force Research Labs innovation organization SpaceWERX, we are very pleased to be playing major roles on programs at the forefront of space technology.”
Under NASA’s Space Technology Payload Challenge, the fourth installment in its TechLeap Prize initiative to accelerate the development and flight testing of transformative space technologies, Juno Propulsion was selected to develop the RDRE thruster designed to redefine the state of the art in in-space propulsion. Momentus will provide the Vigoride satellite platform and operate it in space, enabling Juno’s RDRE thruster to be tested in orbit. This partnership marks a critical step toward validating the technology in a relevant space environment.
The Juno Propulsion compact RDRE thruster utilizes non-toxic, storable propellants—nitrous oxide and ethane—to deliver high-efficiency thrust with simplified architecture. These propellants are much safer to handle than toxic hydrazine fuels. Unlike conventional engines, RDREs use detonation waves to combust propellants more efficiently, achieving significantly higher specific impulse. With Momentus providing the satellite bus and on-orbit operations on their fifth Vigoride mission, Juno is now positioned to bring RDRE technology to orbit for the first time.
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