The American company Momentus announced the conclusion of two new contracts with NASA at a total cost 7,6 millions of dollars for transportation of experimental useful loads for testing of space production technologies and advanced traffic systems on board Vigoride apparatus.
The first contract, оцінений у 5,1 a million dollars, фінансується через програму Flight Opportunities і передбачає проведення демонстраційного експерименту COSMIC (Commercial Orbital System for Microgravity In-Space Crystallization). Його метою є перевірка можливості вирощування напівпровідникових кристалів у мікрогравітації з подальшим поверненням зразків на Землю. The experiment will be performed by the Astral Materials company in cooperation with SpaceWorks Engineering, which provides an atmospheric re-entry system.
The second contract for 2,5 мільйона доларів стосується випробування двигуна з обертальною детонацією, розробленого компанією Juno Propulsion. This type of rocket engine provides higher efficiency compared to traditional systems due to a special combustion regime. The option will be tested, optimized for use in space with fuel components — nitrous oxide and ethane.
Both experiments will be placed on the same Vigoride apparatus, the launch of which is planned no earlier than October 2026 year. Before that, the company plans another mission in February 2026 year on the SpaceX Transporter rocket carrier, the main customer of which will be DARPA with the NOM4D project (Novel Orbital and Moon Manufacturing, Materials, and Mass-efficient Design) — an initiative to develop technologies for the assembly of structures in space.
The NASA contracts became part of Momentus' broader strategy, focused on performing demonstration missions for state and defense customers. Although the demand for orbital transport vehicles (OTV), similar to Vigoride, develops more slowly, than expected, Momentus focuses on providing technology demonstrator hosting services, which allow you to practice innovative solutions in real orbit conditions. In the future, the company predicts a growing need for precise deployment of small satellites, which will increase the demand for maneuvering platforms and individual orbital transportation.
Source: https://spacenews.com