Momentus Secures NASA and Commercial Contracts as In-Orbit Operations Expand

Commercial space company Momentus is expanding its orbital logistics and satellite bus operations following a series of new defense and NASA contracts. In late 2026, OQ Technology selected Momentus to fly a 5G Narrowband IoT payload aboard its Vigoride-9 mission scheduled for late 2027, as reported by TipRanks. The award follows NASA choosing Momentus for the formulation phase of its Fly Foundational Robots (FFR) Resupply mission to advance in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM) technologies, according to Yahoo Finance.

What Momentus Builds

Founded in 2017, Momentus manufactures satellite buses, orbital service vehicles, and offers hosted payload and in-space transportation services. Its primary product is the Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicle, a space transfer vehicle designed to transport customer payloads to customized orbits after riding to space aboard rideshare rockets. Momentus also provides in-orbit servicing, last-mile delivery, and satellite components, including 3D-printed metal fuel tanks developed with Velo3D, which were flight-tested aboard Vigoride-7 as detailed by 3D Printing Industry.

Leadership and Strategic Shift

The San Jose-based company went public via a SPAC merger in 2021. Following regulatory and national security reviews related to its original foreign founders, including former CEO Mikhail Kokorich, leadership transitioned in August 2021 to CEO John Rood. Other early founders listed in corporate records include Chris Tara-Browne, Liudmila Kokorich, and Alex Kharis.

John Rood previously served as U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and held senior executive positions at Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. Under Rood's leadership, Momentus has restructured its operations to target dual-use commercial and government defense markets.

In-Orbit Demonstrations and NASA Awards

Momentus has demonstrated autonomous proximity and in-orbit operations in LEO. In September 2026, Vigoride-7 completed an autonomous Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) demonstration with NASA's R5-S10 CubeSat using commercial off-the-shelf optical, infrared, and LiDAR sensors under a $1.86 million SpaceWERX contract, as reported by Yahoo Finance. The mission verified autonomous tracking in varying lighting conditions and used Solstar Space's Deke communications terminal to transfer data between spacecraft.

Earlier NASA awards include a $5.1 million contract under NASA's Flight Opportunities program for the Commercial Orbital System for Microgravity In-Space Crystallization (COSMIC) mission and a $2.5 million award to flight-test a Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE) built by Juno Propulsion, according to Via Satellite. In May 2026, CEO John Rood announced in a shareholder letter that the company was targeting $10 million in 2026 revenue while eliminating outstanding debt, according to TradingView.

Open Engineering and Program Roles

Momentus is expanding its engineering and technical management teams in San Jose, CA, alongside finance positions. Key engineering hires include a Chief Engineer offering $275,000 to $325,000 annually to direct vehicle architectures and a Staff Mechanical Design Engineer listed between $190,000 and $215,000.

The hardware teams are recruiting a Systems Architect Engineer ($160,000 to $200,000), a Power Systems Engineer ($140,000 to $195,000), an Electrical Avionics Engineer ($140,000 to $175,000), and a CAD Drafter – Electrical Harness Design ($95,000 to $120,000).

To support mission execution and infrastructure, Momentus is seeking a contractor Spacecraft Technical Program Manager, a Senior DevSecOps Engineer ($190,000 to $225,000), a Sales Engineer ($140,000 to $175,000), and a remote SEC Reporting & Technical Accounting Manager ($160,000 to $180,000).

See all open roles at Momentus