Momentus Inc. (NASDAQ: MNTS) and Solstar Space Company(“Solstar”) earlier this month signed a strategic partnership agreement and will collaborate on creating new ways of operating in space by enabling customers to have on-demand connectivity with their systems in space.
This connectivity will allow customers to use commercial satellite constellations to communicate on-demand with systems aboard spacecraft on-orbit, instead of relying on costly ground communications services provided by specialized vendors that only provide periodic burst communications when their spacecraft passes over a ground station. The type of connectivity that Momentus and Solstar plan to provide will allow space system operators to communicate with their systems on-orbit the same way Wi-Fi is used on Earth to communicate continuously and on-demand.
Momentus and Solstar will conduct the first on-orbit demonstration of Solstar’s Deke Space Communicator in LEO on a mission that will be launched on an upcoming SpaceX Transporter rideshare mission as early as 2026. The Deke Space Communicator will provide on-demand Wi-Fi and narrowband Internet connectivity for Momentus and the firm’s customers.
Through this partnership, the companies plan to accelerate development and demonstration of our technologies and substantially improve the firms’ ability to bring new capabilities to market for commercial and government customers.
This strategic partnership leverages the strengths and expertise of both companies and aims to make it possible for customers to use on-demand, persistent, and cost-effective communication with space systems across a variety of mission types and operational orbits. Under the terms of the agreement, Momentus and Solstar will work closely and pursue joint opportunities in hosted payload services and space data relay communications systems.
Our strategic partnership builds on the flight-proven capabilities that Momentus has for hosted payloads and satellite buses and leverages the innovative on-orbit WiFi and Internet connectivity that Solstar is developing,” said John Rood, CEO of Momentus Space. “By blending our technological core competencies and the talents of our teams, we can bring a new capability to our customers for on-demand communication to operate space systems on-orbit like we have come to use daily on Earth.”
This strategic partnership marks a significant milestone for both companies,” said Brian Barnett, Founder and CEO of Solstar. “By collaborating with Momentus, we are poised to accelerate our growth and bring new, transformative solutions to the market. Our Deke Space Communicator, along with its onboard WiFi capabilities, is uniquely positioned to support missions like the planned Momentus launch where reliable connectivity to onboard spacecraft communications systems is important to successful mission completion. We look forward to a successful partnership that will create value for our respective customers and stakeholders.”