Momentus, a U.S. commercial space company specializing in satellite technology, space transportation, and in-orbit services, announced the successful launch of its Vigoride 7 Orbital Service Vehicle to low-Earth orbit aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-16 mission. The launch marks a major milestone for the Company as it begins its most advanced on-orbit demonstration campaign to date.

The Vigoride 7 spacecraft, integrated on a dedicated launch plate aboard the Falcon 9, is slated to conduct a series of in-space operations to test, validate, and showcase a suite of next-generation capabilities. Over the course of the mission, Momentus will host and operate 10 government and commercial payloads, including demonstrations of autonomous rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO), in-space assembly technologies, advanced communications systems, and high-performance onboard computing.

These activities are being conducted under contracts with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), multiple U.S. Department of War organizations, and commercial partners. This includes approximately $4.2 million in contracts 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 additional agreements with NASA’s Johnson Space Center and Armstrong Flight Research Center.

“Today’s launch represents the culmination of extensive engineering, testing, and mission preparation by the Momentus team,” said Momentus Chief Executive Officer John Rood. “Vigoride 7 carries one of the most diverse and technologically ambitious payload manifests we have ever flown. We’re honored to support our government and commercial partners as they demonstrate capabilities that will help shape the future of in-space logistics, autonomy, and infrastructure.”

The Vigoride 7 mission will be operated from Momentus’ Mission Control Center in San Jose, California. With over 300 kg of payload capacity and up to 3 kW of peak onboard power, the Vigoride platform is designed to support increasingly complex commercial and government use cases in LEO and beyond.

“The technologies flying on Vigoride 7—from autonomous maneuvering to in-space assembly—represent critical building blocks for the emerging space economy,” Rood added. “We’re proud to work with DARPA, the Space Force, AFRL, NASA, and innovative commercial partners, including Portal, Orbit Fab, CisLunar Industries, DPhi, Scout Space, and Solstar Space. Their missions reflect the growing demand for flexible, responsive, and capable in-space services.”

As previously announced, Vigoride 8, scheduled to launch early next year, is fully manifested, flying two complex payloads funded through the NASA Flight Opportunities Program out of Armstrong Flight Research Center. Momentus continues to expand its manifest and is now integrating customers for Vigoride 9 and future missions. 

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