Momentus Awarded NASA Contract to Design Solar Sail Demonstration Mission

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Key Terms

solar sail technical

A solar sail is a lightweight, reflective sheet used on spacecraft that harnesses the push of sunlight to produce continuous, fuel-free thrust — think of it like a sailboat using wind in space. For investors, solar sails matter because they can reduce propulsion costs, enable longer or cheaper missions, and create opportunities for companies involved in spacecraft design, materials and mission services, potentially changing long-term revenue and risk profiles in the space industry.

cislunar technical

The region of space between Earth and the Moon, including low Earth orbit, translunar trajectories, and the area around the Moon; it describes the physical space where satellites, crewed missions, tugs, fuel depots, and other infrastructure operate. Investors care because commercial activity in this “highway” affects demand for launch services, spacecraft, communications, navigation, in-space fuel and logistics — similar to how a major shipping lane creates business for ports, freight companies and insurers — influencing revenue potential, costs and regulatory risk.

space weather technical

Space weather describes changing conditions in space—like solar flares and charged particle streams—that can disrupt satellites, radio signals, power grids and navigation systems. Investors should care because these “storms” can damage assets, interrupt services, raise costs for repairs and insurance, and affect revenue for companies reliant on satellites, transportation and utilities, much like a severe terrestrial storm can halt businesses and require costly recovery.

geomagnetic storms technical

Geomagnetic storms are disturbances in Earth’s magnetic field caused by bursts of charged particles from the Sun that act like a sudden, strong gust hitting a ship’s shield. They matter to investors because those disturbances can disrupt power grids, satellites, GPS, radio communications and other electronics, creating operational outages, higher repair or insurance costs, supply-chain delays and potential hits to revenue or asset values across affected industries.

solar wind technical

A solar wind is a continuous stream of charged particles and embedded magnetic fields flowing outward from the Sun; think of it as a gust of electrically charged gas that reaches Earth and other planets. It matters to investors because strong bursts can disrupt satellites, radio and GPS signals, power grids and pipeline operations, creating sudden costs, service outages or insurance losses for companies tied to communications, utilities, aerospace and infrastructure.

plasma technical

Plasma is the pale yellow liquid portion of blood that carries proteins, antibodies and other components which can be separated and processed into therapies, diagnostic products and vaccines. For investors, plasma functions like a raw material: its supply, collection costs, quality controls and regulatory oversight directly affect revenue, margins and growth prospects for companies that collect plasma or make plasma-derived products.

03/18/2026 - 08:00 AM

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Momentus Inc. (NASDAQ: MNTS), a U.S. commercial space company offering satellites, satellite components, and in-space transportation and hosted payload services, today announced that it was awarded a NASA contract to support the Space Storms Solar Sail Sentinel Demonstration Study for a potential mission based on the cislunar-capable Vigoride spacecraft platform. Momentus recently completed this study and submitted the final report to NASA under this contract awarded in 2025.

After reviewing the results of this study, NASA may consider awarding a follow-on contract to conduct further study or a flight demonstration of the solar sail through the Flight Opportunities program, managed at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The solar sail would measure 1,652 square meters which is 17,782 square feet or about one-third the size of an American football field. For a flight demonstration, the selected hosted orbital platform provider would be responsible for the bus and system integration of the solar sail technologies delivered by NASA.

The study focused on a solar sail jointly developed by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Designed to enable space weather–monitoring satellites to maneuver closer to the Sun, the spacecraft would help provide earlier warning and increase the time available to respond to critical solar weather events like geomagnetic storms by measuring the solar wind (magnetic field and plasma) farther from Earth. Solar sails work by harnessing the pressure exerted by sunlight, allowing a spacecraft to move without conventional propellant. The mission would demonstrate how a solar sail can be controlled and maneuvered for navigation.

“Momentus is proud to support this next-gen solar sail mission study with our Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicle. Vigoride’s modular design enables us to rapidly integrate complex diverse hosted mission payloads,” said John Rood, CEO of Momentus. “We’re pleased to again be entrusted by NASA to perform cutting-edge work to unlock new frontiers in space-based systems. We’re excited to help usher in a new era where solar sail propulsion provides new orbital capabilities.”

About Momentus

Momentus is a U.S. commercial space company offering satellites, satellite components, and in-space transportation, hosted payloads, and infrastructure services. The Company offers satellites to support government and commercial customers for missions like communications, missile tracking, and cutting-edge science missions. Momentus offers services such as hosted payloads, support for in-space assembly, on-orbit servicing and refueling, and transportation of satellites to specific orbits.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain statements which may constitute “forward-looking statements” for purposes of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the expected filing of the Company’s Form 10-K and Form 10-Q and its management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future, projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are not guarantees of future performance. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of Momentus’ control. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to risks and uncertainties included under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed by the Company on April 9, 2025, as such factors may be updated from time to time in our other filings with the Commission, accessible on the Commission’s website at www.sec.gov and the Investor Relations section of our website at investors.momentus.space. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and, except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.