Demo Mission to Test New ‘Space Tug’ Continues to Flounder

upstart writes:

Private space company Momentus had previously warned that "challenges" were to be expected during this inaugural mission:

California-based Momentus is currently performing its first test of an orbital transfer vehicle known as Vigoride-3, but the 180-day demo mission is off to a rocky start.

The Vigoride-3 orbital transfer vehicle, in space since late May, is running on low power and likely won't be able to deploy any more satellites to low Earth orbit, according to the latest Momentus update. Solar arrays that were folded for launch failed to open, resulting in the current power and communications issues with Vigoride-3. That communication frequencies might've been misconfigured prior to launch hasn't helped matters.

Known as a "space tug," the Vigoride spacecraft is designed to carry and deploy small satellites to specific orbital locations. Once in orbit, Vigoride will use its innovative thrusters to maneuver in space. It was supposed to deploy nine payloads for several customers over the course of this 180-day mission, as a company spokesperson confirmed in an email. In addition, Momentus was hoping to test Vigoride's Microwave Electrothermal Thruster, which uses water as a propellant, but that's now in doubt.

Despite these setbacks, Momentus is maintaining its launch schedule for the current year and into 2023. This includes the SpaceX Transporter 6 rideshare mission, currently scheduled for launch in November 2022.

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