SAN JOSE, Calif., July 30, 2026 – Commercial space transportation provider Momentus Inc. announced on July 30, 2026, that its Vigoride 7 Orbital Service Vehicle (OSV) has achieved critical operational milestones during its ongoing multi-month mission in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
The vehicle launched on March 30, 2026, aboard the SpaceX Transporter 16 rideshare flight, carrying ten dedicated and hosted payloads for commercial entities, NASA, and the U.S. Department of Defense. The mission follows earlier operational milestones, including a SpaceWERX and NASA Space Act Agreement focused on automated rendezvous and in-space inspection techniques.
Water-Powered Propulsion and Altitude Adjustments
During recent operations, the spacecraft successfully completed a series of orbit-lowering maneuvers that reduced its altitude by nearly 20 km. The orbital adjustments were executed through more than 50 controlled firings of the vehicle’s onboard dual Microwave Electrothermal Thrusters (METs), which utilize water as a non-toxic propellant.
The proprietary propulsion system creates thrust by heating water propellant using microwave energy to generate plasma. With the completion of these maneuvers, Momentus has logged more than 400 total operational firings of its MET propulsion hardware across its active flight history since 2023.
Additively Manufactured Hardware and Hosted Payloads
Alongside propulsion testing, Momentus continues to evaluate onboard hardware subsystems and customer payloads. Integrated momentum wheels operated on the Vigoride vehicle for the first time are functioning within nominal parameters. Additionally, flight testing of an in-house titanium additively manufactured fuel tank demonstrated successful pressure containment, validating 3D-printing manufacturing techniques designed to streamline small satellite component production timelines.
The vehicle also maintains active operations for partner payloads conducting communications trials, edge computing demonstrations, and structural in-space assembly tests.
Executive Directives and Forward Flight Schedule
“We’re proud of the performance that our satellite technologies, including our Vigoride 7 spacecraft, continue to show in orbit,” said John Rood, Chief Executive Officer of Momentus. “We leverage the many decades of space experience of our engineering and technology team and the experience gained on our past missions since 2022 to provide cost-effective results for our customers who, like Momentus, operate at the cutting-edge of space technology.”
Momentus is preparing its fully booked Vigoride 8 mission for launch in 2027 to carry two NASA payloads. Concurrently, production has commenced on the Vigoride 9 vehicle following initial commercial payload capacity bookings for Vigoride 9.