Spacecraft Tug Preparing for First Launch, Test, For Eventual Satellite Repositioning Services

Commercial space company Momentus, Inc. has obtained the needed radio license for its first flight using the Vigoride orbital transfer vehicle. 

The Vigoride is described as a space tug, a small vehicle that provides transit to spacecraft up to 2,000 km, even if they require changing orbital planes and inclination. It uses an unorthodox microwave electrothermal thruster using water as propellant. Currently, its expected payload should come in around 1,650 lbs, or 750 kg, once up and running. The capability it offers is impressive, if functional. Satellites in a decaying orbit, especially those that require a custom, finely tuned position, are money lost, but Vigoride could provide constellation operators a way to salvage their investment and put it back where it belongs. 

News of the FCC license is great for Momentus, allowing them to test their spacecraft while in low-Earth-orbit while maintaining radio control. The company reports that it is working with the FAA on payload review, which is being analyzed for potential issues with safety and health for those below should the worst occur. FAA approval is the only thing standing in the way of the test, however, and Momentus believes it's a shoe-in for approval given the lack of complex, dangerous propellants  within the Vigoride. 

For its first mission, Momentus plans for a flight test using their spacecraft, with a secondary goal to carry some small customer payloads into orbit. If successful, they will be making revenue out the gate while generating useful test data, a rare convenience in space testing. What payloads those may be have not been announced, though often such cargo is just as much sentimental as it is commercial. 

Things are looking up, around Momentus, eager to take to the skies after postponed tests and inaugural launches. "We continue to make substantial progress in working through the different regulatory processes, as shown by receipt of this license from the FCC and the license modification approvals we received on March 21, 2022, and April 27, 2022, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration," said Momentus Chief Executive Officer John Rood. "Our team remains focused on finishing late-stage preparation of the spacecraft as we look toward our first flight."

FMI: www.momentus.space