Momentus Expands Defense Department Contract for In-Space Assembly Demonstration

Momentus Inc., a U.S. commercial space company specialized in satellite buses, in-space transportation, and other infrastructure services, has secured an expansion of contract from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

The contract will support an in-orbit demonstration of large-scale structure assembly, set to launch aboard a SpaceX Transporter rideshare mission as early as 2026.

The contract

The expanded contract falls under the DARPA Novel Orbital and Moon Manufacturing, Materials, and Mass-efficient Design (NOM4D) program. Momentus will provide end-to-end mission support, including launch services, payload integration, and hosting of the in-space assembly demonstration aboard its Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicle.

The primary goal of the mission is to validate the performance, reliability, and functionality of in-space assembly technology in the low Earth orbit (LEO) environment.

This expansion follows Momentus’ initial NOM4D contract award in April 2024, under which the company successfully completed the first two phases of the program. The latest award, valued at approximately $3.5 million, marks the third phase of the initiative and is managed by DARPA’s Defense Sciences Office.

The NOM4D program is focused on advancing technologies for the in-space construction of large, precise, and resilient structures. Unlike traditional deployable spacecraft components that must be designed for launch survivability, the NOM4D approach emphasizes transporting raw materials from Earth for direct fabrication in orbit.

This capability has potential applications for manufacturing large-scale systems such as solar arrays, antennas, and optical components directly in space, rather than deploying pre-built structures.

Key step for Momentus

John Rood, Chief Executive Officer of Momentus, highlighted the significance of the project, stating, “Cost-effective assembly of structures in space has the potential to transform how we operate in space. Structures that are too large to fit within the shroud of a launch vehicle can be robotically assembled in space, leading to less complex and cost-effective structures like large communications antennas, hubs for orbital manufacturing of advanced materials and potentially products like semiconductors, and the repair and upgrade of space systems.”

This mission will be the fourth deployment of Momentus’ Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicle and its first supporting DARPA. Additionally, Momentus has indicated that it has available capacity on this mission for additional customers seeking LEO deployment and hosted payload opportunities in early 2026.