Momentus Vigoride-5 Status Update #4

About this update from Momentus Inc.

[{"type":"text","content":" SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--\nMomentus Inc. (NASDAQ: MNTS) (\"Momentus\" or the \"Company\"), a U.S. commercial space company that offers transportation and other in-space infrastructure services, today announced that the Vigoride-5 spacecraft is maneuvering under its own power in Earth orbit. The Attitude Control and Reaction Control Systems have been commissioned and are tested and functional, thus paving the way for initiating the testing campaign of the vehicle’s Microwave Electrothermal Thruster (MET).\nThis press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230323005766/en/Momentus' Microwave Electrothermal Thruster (MET) undergoing ground testing in a vacuum chamber at company headquarters. Photo: Momentus.\n“Momentus is now using a water propellant system to control the spacecraft, achieving a key objective of our Vigoride-5 mission,” said Momentus Chief Executive Officer John Rood. “This mission marks the first time our Attitude Control and Reaction Control Systems have been fired in space and their preliminary performance has met our expectations. We are excited to have reached this milestone and are now clear to begin the testing of our primary MET propulsion system.”\n\nThe Attitude Control System senses the spacecraft’s orientation in space using sensors such as star trackers and gyroscopes. The spacecraft can be commanded to maintain any required pointing orientation. The spacecraft is kept in position with thruster firings of its Reaction Control System. The Reaction Control System uses a unique water-based system to provide thrust which controls the vehicle’s orientation.\n\nWhile the primary purpose of the Reaction Control System is to control the vehicle’s orientation, this system also has the ability to maneuver the spacecraft, including changing its altitude and inclination in space. This is part of the robust design of the Vigoride spacecraft with redundant systems to enable the spacecraft to perform missions such as deploying customer satellites in unique orbits. The Reaction Control System operates using the same propellant and tank with water as the Vigoride spacecraft’s primary MET propulsion system.\n\nThe MET is designed to use water as a propellant and produce thrust by expelling extremely hot gases through a rocket nozzle. Unlike a conventi...

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