Investing.com — Momentus Inc. (NASDAQ:MNTS) stock surged 55% after the U.S. commercial space company announced it was awarded a contract by NASA to study flying critical foundational robotics technologies into space.
The company has already completed work under this initial contract from NASA’s Flight Opportunities program and expects to submit a proposal for a follow-on mission to demonstrate the technology in space. Momentus is one of two companies being evaluated for this larger contract, which NASA expects to award in September.
The study designed a mission leveraging Momentus’ flagship Vigoride orbital service vehicle, which is used to transport and deploy payloads with precision. The vehicle also serves as a satellite bus with payloads for missions such as communications and missile tracking.
“This win demonstrates our commitment to advancing space infrastructure by supporting innovative technologies that can transform how we operate in space,” said John Rood, CEO of Momentus. “We’re honored to be entrusted by NASA to help mature these cutting-edge robotics systems.”
The contract tasked Momentus with exploring options to fly advanced robotic systems aboard one of its upcoming orbital service vehicle flights. These technologies aim to demonstrate autonomous robotic maneuvers that could inform future on-orbit servicing, debris mitigation, satellite assembly, and lunar surface operations.
The contract also included developing a commercialization plan to show that space robotics can be applied in commercially meaningful use cases at viable price points. A potential test flight could allow NASA to assess the performance of robotics systems in microgravity.
