Momentus Space
American space infrastructure company developing orbital transportation and in-space services.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Momentus Space, the operating brand of Momentus Inc., is an American commercial space company headquartered in San Jose, California. It designs and manufactures spacecraft and in-space infrastructure intended to move, host, support, and service payloads after their initial launch. Its business has centered on orbital transportation, hosted payloads, satellite deployment, and technologies for in-orbit servicing and robotic operations. The company was founded in 2017 by Mikhail Kokorich and Lev Khasis around the concept of a reusable or repeatable space tug. The original commercial proposition was to allow small satellites launched through rideshare programs to reach more useful operational orbits instead of remaining in the orbit selected by a launch vehicle. Momentus sought to provide this service through the Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicle, a spacecraft bus designed to carry satellites and other payloads in low Earth orbit. A defining element of the Vigoride platform is Momentus's Microwave Electrothermal Thruster, or MET. The system uses electrical power to heat water into an energized exhaust stream. Water was selected as a propellant because it is comparatively easy to handle and does not require the same type of toxic or cryogenic storage associated with several conventional spacecraft propellants. The technology also aligns with longer-term concepts involving the use of water resources found in space, although such future applications remain developmental rather than established commercial operations. Momentus received early venture support from organizations including Y Combinator and Prime Movers Lab. In 2020, it announced plans to become a public company through a merger with Stable Road Acquisition Corp. The proposed transaction was accompanied by significant regulatory and national-security scrutiny. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States required founder Mikhail Kokorich, a Russian national, to leave the company because of concerns related to foreign access to sensitive aerospace technology. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission also charged Momentus and Stable Road with misleading investors about the results of a 2019 propulsion test. The matter was resolved through a settlement that included a $7 million payment, governance changes, and founder share divestiture requirements. After addressing the conditions associated with its national-security agreement, Momentus obtained authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration to resume flight operations. The company continued developing Vigoride spacecraft and orbital transportation services while gradually broadening its business beyond a purely commercial satellite rideshare model. In 2023, Momentus appointed John Rood as chief executive officer. Rood, a former United States Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, brought a national-security and government-contracting orientation to the company. Under his leadership, Momentus emphasized government infrastructure work, autonomous rendezvous and proximity operations, in-space assembly, orbital robotics, and other capabilities relevant to defense and civil-space customers. The company has identified agencies and organizations including DARPA, NASA, and the United States Space Force as part of its government-oriented opportunity set. Momentus's principal commercial and technical platform remains Vigoride. The spacecraft is intended to fly as a rideshare payload on launch vehicles such as SpaceX Falcon 9 missions, then provide orbital maneuvering and payload-support services in low Earth orbit. More recent platform concepts are described as supporting substantial solar power generation for payloads that may include sensing, communications, computing, and robotic systems. The company operates from San Jose and has developed manufacturing, testing, cleanroom, mission-control, and propulsion-test capabilities. Its strategic direction reflects the wider evolution of the space sector: launch costs have fallen through rideshare access, while demand has increased for precise orbital delivery, persistent hosted payloads, servicing, inspection, and defense-related space infrastructure. Momentus therefore occupies a position between a spacecraft manufacturer, an orbital logistics provider, and an emerging in-space services contractor. Its long-term prospects depend on successful spacecraft operations, regulatory compliance, access to launch opportunities, customer adoption, and the ability to convert technically ambitious orbital-robotics concepts into repeatable commercial and government programs.
History
Momentus was established in 2017 by Mikhail Kokorich and Lev Khasis to pursue the idea of commercial orbital transportation using a spacecraft-based space tug. The business model addressed a limitation of rideshare launches: small satellites could obtain relatively economical access to orbit, but the launch vehicle generally delivered them to a common drop-off orbit rather than to each satellite's preferred operational location. Momentus proposed to provide the final stage of orbital logistics after launch, transporting payloads to custom orbits and potentially offering related hosting and servicing functions. The company attracted early backing from Y Combinator and Prime Movers Lab. Its principal spacecraft concept became the Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicle, a bus designed to fly in low Earth orbit with customer satellites and other payloads. Vigoride's propulsion architecture was based on the Microwave Electrothermal Thruster. Rather than relying on a conventional chemical propellant, the system uses microwave energy to convert water into a high-temperature exhaust stream. Water offers handling and storage advantages compared with several hazardous or cryogenic propellants, and the concept has been associated with longer-term in-space-resource ideas. Momentus entered a major corporate transition in October 2020, when it announced plans to merge with Stable Road Acquisition Corp. The proposed transaction brought the company into the public-markets process but also exposed it to heightened regulatory and national-security review. CFIUS required Mikhail Kokorich, a Russian national, to step down because of concerns about foreign access to sensitive aerospace technology. The company and the SPAC also faced SEC enforcement over claims concerning the success of a 2019 propulsion test. The matter was settled with a $7 million payment, changes to the board, and requirements that the founders divest their shares. These events delayed the company's planned transition and substantially changed its governance and ownership arrangements. Momentus subsequently worked under a national-security agreement and obtained FAA clearance to resume flight operations. This period marked a shift from an early growth narrative focused primarily on commercial satellite rideshare toward a more compliance-intensive model serving both commercial and government customers. The company continued to develop Vigoride and its propulsion system while pursuing hosted payloads, orbital delivery, and technologies relevant to inspection and servicing. In 2023, John Rood became chief executive officer. His previous experience as U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy influenced a strategic emphasis on national-security space, government contracting, and technically complex orbital operations. Momentus began highlighting autonomous rendezvous and proximity operations, orbital robotics, in-space assembly, and infrastructure capable of supporting government missions. The company has identified or been associated with opportunities involving DARPA, NASA, and the United States Space Force. Vigoride remains the company's central spacecraft platform. It is designed to launch as a rideshare payload, including on SpaceX Falcon 9 missions, and then operate in low Earth orbit to maneuver or host customer payloads. Later platform descriptions emphasize increased electrical power for demanding payloads, including sensors, computing systems, and robotic equipment. This expands the role of the vehicle from a simple orbital transfer stage toward a multifunctional in-space service platform. Momentus is headquartered in San Jose, California, where its facilities support spacecraft production, cleanroom integration, propulsion testing, and mission operations. Reference material describes a transition to an Automation and Manufacturing Facility with cleanrooms, vacuum chambers for MET testing, and a mission-control function. The company's present identity combines elements of a spacecraft original-equipment manufacturer, a space-tug operator, and a government-oriented in-space infrastructure contractor. Its development remains dependent on successful flight operations, regulatory approval, launch access, customer demand, and the conversion of experimental orbital-robotics capabilities into dependable services.
- 2026
Qualified vendor for MDA SHIELD
[1]Momentus is selected as a qualified vendor for the Missile Defense Agency's SHIELD contracting vehicle.
- 2023
John Rood becomes chief executive
[1]The appointment strengthens Momentus's emphasis on government customers, defense applications, and advanced orbital operations.
- 2022
FAA clearance to resume flight operations
[1]The company receives regulatory clearance to resume flight operations after work connected to its national-security agreement.
- 2021
Founder and governance changes follow national-security review
[1]CFIUS-related requirements lead to the departure of founder Mikhail Kokorich and changes to the company's governance and ownership structure.
- 2021
SEC enforcement settlement
[1]Momentus and Stable Road resolve SEC charges concerning statements about a propulsion test, with financial and governance consequences.
- 2020
SPAC merger plan announced
[1]Momentus announces a planned combination with Stable Road Acquisition Corp. as part of an effort to become a public company.
- 2017
Momentus is founded
[1]Mikhail Kokorich and Lev Khasis establish the company around commercial orbital transportation and space-tug technology.
Products and positioning
A U.S. space infrastructure and orbital-logistics provider combining spacecraft manufacturing with transportation, hosted payload, servicing, and national-security space capabilities.
Orbital service vehicle
Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicle
Vigoride is Momentus's primary spacecraft platform for orbital transportation, hosted payloads, and related in-space services. It is designed to launch as a rideshare payload on medium- or heavy-lift rockets and then operate in low Earth orbit. The vehicle can maneuver customer satellites or other payloads after deployment, enabling delivery to selected orbits rather than limiting customers to the launch vehicle's shared drop-off orbit. Later versions are described as providing increased solar power for demanding payloads, including military sensors, computing systems, and robotic equipment.
Spacecraft propulsion system
Microwave Electrothermal Thruster
The Microwave Electrothermal Thruster, or MET, is Momentus's proprietary propulsion technology for the Vigoride platform. It uses electrical power to energize a microwave field that heats liquid water and produces a plasma-like exhaust for spacecraft maneuvering. Water is comparatively easy to store and avoids some of the toxicity and handling burdens associated with conventional propellants. The technology is also conceptually compatible with future in-space-resource scenarios involving water recovered from asteroids, the Moon, or other celestial bodies, although those applications remain prospective.
In-space service
Hosted payload services
Momentus uses its orbital platforms to support hosted payload missions in low Earth orbit. A hosted payload can use spacecraft power, communications, orbital access, and mission-support resources without requiring a fully independent satellite bus. The offering is relevant to commercial, civil, and government users seeking an in-space demonstration or operational capability through a rideshare-oriented deployment model.
Orbital robotics and servicing
In-orbit servicing and robotic infrastructure
Momentus is developing capabilities associated with autonomous rendezvous, proximity operations, in-orbit servicing, inspection, and in-space assembly. These activities extend the company's role beyond payload delivery toward infrastructure that can interact with, inspect, or support other spacecraft. The capabilities are particularly relevant to national-security and government missions, where autonomous orbital operations and robotic manipulation may support resilient space architectures.
Controversies
2021
SEC charges over propulsion-test disclosures
The SEC charged Momentus and Stable Road Acquisition Corp. with misleading investors about the outcome of a 2019 propulsion test. The resolution included a $7 million settlement, board restructuring, and requirements for founder share divestiture.
2021
National-security concerns involving founder ownership and access
CFIUS-related national-security concerns led to founder Mikhail Kokorich stepping down and prompted changes to ownership and governance intended to restrict foreign access to sensitive aerospace technology.
Brand decisions
2026
Participate in the MDA SHIELD contracting vehicleStrategyBackground
The company pursued a larger role in U.S. defense-space infrastructure and advanced orbital services.
Action taken
Momentus was selected as a qualified vendor for the Missile Defense Agency's SHIELD program.
Aftermath
The selection positioned Momentus within a multi-award defense procurement framework, although it does not by itself establish the value or timing of any task orders.
2023
Shift toward government and national-security spaceStrategyBackground
After regulatory difficulties surrounding the company's early commercial growth strategy, Momentus appointed former senior defense official John Rood as chief executive.
Action taken
The company placed greater emphasis on defense and government infrastructure, autonomous rendezvous and proximity operations, orbital robotics, and in-space assembly.
Aftermath
Momentus broadened its stated customer and application base to include agencies and organizations such as DARPA, NASA, and the United States Space Force.
2020
Pursue a merger with Stable Road Acquisition Corp.M&ABackground
Momentus sought access to public capital markets and announced a transaction with the special-purpose acquisition company Stable Road Acquisition Corp.
Action taken
The company entered the SPAC merger process, although the transaction was later complicated by regulatory, national-security, and disclosure issues.
Aftermath
The proposed public-company transition was accompanied by governance changes, founder share-divestiture requirements, and increased regulatory scrutiny.
Recent events
Momentus CEO resigns[3]
Reported:
Momentus Space founder and CEO Mikhail Kokorich resigned amid U.S. government national security and foreign-ownership concerns.
Sources3 sources
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