Momentus has experienced some orbital issues with its newly launched space tug. The company's spacecraft, Vigoride, was built atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket back on May 25.
Vigoride's Demonstration Mission Called Transporter 5
The Vigoride rode to Earth orbit with a number of other payloads on the Transporter 5 mission. This would be the first-ever spaceflight for Vigoride and is serving primarily as a "demonstration mission."
According to an article by Space News, the tug is carrying nine different small satellites. The satellites are reportedly for three different customers.
Momentus Space Tug Experienced Issues in Orbit
The problem, however, is that the newly launched space tug by Momentus has been experiencing a few issues while in orbit. Shortly after liftoff, Momentous stated that Vigoride had experienced some initial anomalies.
Business Wire reportedly released an update coming from company representatives saying they aren't using any "unplanned frequency" as they are working through the issue and are there applying for a Special Temporary Authority (STA) along with the FTC.
US FCC Said Their Engineering and Operations Team is Still Working on a Fix
The authority will reportedly help them address the issue in order to assist them in helping command the vehicle all the way back to its nominal configuration. As per the story by Space, the company representatives referred to the United States Federal Communications Commission, saying their engineering and operations team is still working to fix the issues.
Unplanned frequency was used due to the communications system of the Vigoride being tuned incorrectly. As per the report, the space tug was still operating slightly off compared to its FCC-licensed bands.
Space Tugs Uplinks and Downlinks Adjusted
The FCC-licensed bands were at an uplink of 2,075 megahertz and a downlink of 8,200 megahertz, while the space tug operated at 2,067.5 megahertz and 8,250 megahertz. This information reportedly came from a recent company filing.
No specifications of the anomalies' nature were released by Momentus, noting they are still working to fix the issue. John Rood, the CEO of the company, stated on a webinar on June 1 that the problems being experienced aren't associated with the primary propulsion system of Vigoride though it has not yet been tested.
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Microwave Electrothermal Thruster Used in the Propulsion System
Microwave electrothermal thrusters (METS) were being used in the propulsion system. This resulted in the propellant heating due to microwave energy. When it comes to the Vigoride, the propellant is water, which creates a thrust by expelling from a nozzle.
A description of the thruster written by Momentus stated that the MET is capable of transmitting a huge amount of energy into a minimum amount of propellant. This then turns into hot plasma, which is capable of reportedly reaching half the sun's surface's temperature.
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Written by Urian B.
