U.S. commercial space company Momentus, that also plans to offer transportation and other in-space infrastructure services, announced that it has received a favorable determination from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of its application for payload review in support of the company’s inaugural flight of the Vigoride orbital transfer vehicle on the upcoming SpaceX Transporter-5 mission targeted for launch this month.
The FAA favorable determination marks Momentus’ final regulatory milestone needed to support its inaugural mission. The Company recently received a license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and license updates from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). These licenses enable Momentus to use radio frequencies to communicate with the Vigoride spacecraft and to use the onboard cameras, respectively.
The decisions by these U.S. government agencies – which in some cases involved a review by other U.S. government departments and agencies, including the Defense Department – reflect the Company’s progress addressing previous national security concerns and commitment to implementation of its National Security Agreement with the U.S. government.
“We welcome these decisions by the relevant U.S. government agencies that clear the way for Momentus to conduct its inaugural launch of the Vigoride spacecraft,” said Momentus Chief Executive Officer John Rood. “Our team remains focused on completing the late-stage preparation of the spacecraft and looks forward to seeing Vigoride in orbit soon.”
During the inaugural mission, Momentus plans to take customer payloads to orbit and generate a small amount of revenue. However, the mission’s primary goals are to test Vigoride in orbit, learn from any issues that are encountered, and incorporate lessons learned into future Vigoride vehicles.