Today, May 12, Momentus, Inc. announced it signed a deal with SpaceX to launch payloads on three rideshare missions. Momentus offers shuttle services in space for satellites and small payloads to reach their designated orbits. The company’s shuttle is called ‘Vigoride’ which is an Orbital Space Vehicle (OSV) designed to provide in-space transportation and hosts payloads.
The company’s contract is to launch aboard SpaceX SmallSat Rideshare Program missions which provide cost-effective launches by allowing customers to share a ride atop previously-flown Falcon 9 rockets for a base price of $275,000 USD per each payload that weighs 50-kilograms, with an additional mass at $5,500 per kilogram (kg). The rideshare missions are called ‘Transporter’ by SpaceX and can carry dozens of payloads to space on a single launch. The most recent mission took place on April 14 and launched a total of 51 small payloads during the Transporter-7 mission, including a Vigoride Momentus OSV that carried NASA payloads to custom orbits.
Under the new contract, Momentus booked flights on three separate SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare missions: the Transporter-10 mission scheduled for January 2024, Transporter-11 by June 2024, and Transporter-12 mission set to take place sometime in October 2024. “This launch schedule enables us to meet the anticipated demand for our services,” said Momentus Chief Commercial Officer Chris Kinman. “Providing mission management and integration services is just the starting point for the work Momentus does, and we're happy to accommodate our customers with speed, affordability, and flexibility both in getting to space and in executing their missions once in orbit,” they stated.
Momentus has a long history of purchasing SpaceX spaceflights. In 2020, the company signed a multi-launch agreement to launch Vigoride vehicles on six rideshare missions. Up next, the Transporter-9 mission will deploy Momentus Vigoride-7 OSV carrying payloads for ‘Lunasonde’ and 'SatRev' which will deliver cubesats (tiny satellites) to Low Earth Orbit in October this year.
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Featured Image Source: Momentus
About the Author
Evelyn Janeidy Arevalo
Evelyn J. Arevalo joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover news as a Space Journalist and SpaceX Starbase Texas Correspondent. Evelyn is specialized in rocketry and space exploration. The main topics she covers are SpaceX and NASA.
