Orbital Service Vehicle Completes Environmental Testing

Momentus has completed Thermal Vacuum (TVAC) testing of its Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicle scheduled to fly on the SpaceX Transporter-6 mission in December

Thermal vacuum testing allows for the simulation of space conditions, including the temperature and altitude that the Vigoride spacecraft will experience during its mission.

TVAC marks the final testing milestone for the Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicle (OSV), which has also undergone successful vibration testing and an array of sub-system tests, including comprehensive ground test campaigns for the solar arrays and our Microwave Electrothermal Thruster (MET) propulsion system.

“We’re now focused on completing integration of our customer payloads and then preparing the vehicle for shipment to the launch site,” comment Momentus Chief Technology Officer Rob Schwarz.

The Momentus demonstration mission priorities include delivering customer payloads to orbit for Caltech and Qosmosys, and testing Vigoride’s performance in space, particularly related to its MET propulsion. The MET uses water as a propellant and produces thrust by expelling very hot gases through a rocket nozzle. However, unlike a conventional chemical rocket engine, which creates heat through a chemical reaction, the MET heats propellant using microwave energy. The non-toxic water propellant enables simpler, safer and less expensive operations on Earth, and more sustainable in-space services.

Momentus Chief Executive Officer John Rood says: “With TVAC complete, we’re excited to have passed another major milestone on the path to starting our next Vigoride demonstration mission with an improved version of this OSV and the opportunity to demonstrate our innovative green propulsion system that uses water as a propellant.”