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SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rideshare program secures its first customer

SpaceX's Smallsat Rideshare Program has its first customer, space-tug builder Momentus Space. (Momentus/SpaceX)

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6 years ago

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On August 22nd, spaceflight startup Momentus Space and launch heavyweight SpaceX announced the first public launch contract to fall under the umbrella of the latter company’s recently-announced Satellite Rideshare Program.

Meant to provide a reliable, consistent, and affordable form of shuttle-like access to orbit, SpaceX’s rideshare program will – pending demand – involve no less than one dedicated Falcon 9 launch per year, capable of placing 15+ metric tons (33,000+ lbs) into low Earth orbit. Although SpaceX’s rideshare proposal is far from revolutionary, the company’s contract with Momentus Space appears to be more than a basic launch service agreement, potentially opening doors for far more flexible rideshare launches in the future.

Since its November 2017 founding, Momentus Space has been able to put money where its mouth is far more so than any comparable space tug hopeful, of which there are several. The concept that has helped Momentus raise nearly $34M in just 1.5 years is relatively simple: build a spacecraft whose sole purpose is to propel other spacecraft to their final orbit(s).

Known as a space tug, the concept is about as old as practical spaceflight itself, and interest in actually developing the concept from paper to hardware has grown exponentially in the last 5-10 years, thanks in large part to an unprecedented boom in commercial spaceflight activity. Applied more specifically, modern efforts like Momentus tend to have ambitious goals couched behind much more achievable (and marketable) concepts.

Momentus has plans for an increasingly ambitious series of space tugs, beginning with the smallsat-sized Vigoride. (Momentus)

Momentus Space’s first goal is to bridge the gap between the low cost of smallsat rideshare missions on large rockets and the convenience of smallsat launches on much smaller rockets by building lightweight, simple, and cheap orbital tugs. The first tug the company wants to field is called Vigoride and will measure approximately 2ft x 2ft (0.4m²) and weigh just 80 kg (175 lb) fully fueled. If launched to a 600 km (370 mi) sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), Vigoride will be able to deliver as much as 220 kg (~500 lb) to a final circular orbit of ~1500 km (930 mi) or place 250 kg (550 lb) of satellites into 10+ separate orbits.

Water plasma rockets (!?)

By far the most innovative and potentially revolutionary aspect of Momentus’ plans is its custom propulsion system of choice: water plasma rockets. In simple terms, Momentus space tugs would quite literally turn water and sunlight into a method of in-space propulsion that can offer both moderate efficiency and relatively high thrust. Using solar arrays, the space tug would charge batteries that would then power an extremely high-power microwave electrothermal thruster (MET).

In the case of Momentus, the exotic form of propulsion uses microwaves to almost instantaneously turn liquid water into plasma, an ionized, electrically-charged gas that can then be directed with a magnetic nozzle to produce thrust. Aside from the decent performance it offers, water-based MET allows a given satellite to completely avoid heavy pressure vessels, doesn’t require extremely high voltages, and uses a fully non-toxic propellant (water).

Momentus plans to rely heavily on custom-designed and built water plasma thrusters for its space tugs.

The fact that pure water is so incredibly benign, non-toxic, and accessible opens up a realm of possibilities. Momentus already has plans to launch Vigorides from the International Space Station, and that could eventually expand into actual in-space reuse in which water-powered satellites might dock with the ISS to load more water and pick up new payloads.

In the case of SpaceX, it appears that the company has inked a more two-way agreement with Momentus, in the sense that prospective customers of SpaceX’s Satellite Rideshare Program might actually be able to arrange for their satellites to be included on Vigoride. Vigoride would then be able to deliver each payload – up to 250 kg worth – to its own orbit, potentially far more convenient than simply being kicked off at a lone orbital bus stop. As Momentus matures its technology and moves from Vigoride to Vigoride Extended and beyond, a partnership with SpaceX’s Satellite Rideshare Program could grow into an almost unbeatable turnkey option for the smallsat industry.

Momentus Space is already sketching out plans for future (and much larger) spacecraft.

Momentus took its first major step towards building capable and marketable space tugs in July 2019 when the company launched X1, its first orbit-worthy satellite prototype. Although the company has been dead silent as to the actual status of that prototype, even a failure would still serve as an invaluable learning opportunity, even if it would be an inconvenient setback. Vigoride’s first test flight was planned as early as late 2019, although the status of that schedule is uncertain.

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Eric Ralph is Teslarati's senior spaceflight reporter and has been covering the industry in some capacity for almost half a decade, largely spurred in 2016 by a trip to Mexico to watch Elon Musk reveal SpaceX's plans for Mars in person. Aside from spreading interest and excitement about spaceflight far and wide, his primary goal is to cover humanity's ongoing efforts to expand beyond Earth to the Moon, Mars, and elsewhere.

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Tesla targets gas car owners with this crazy new promotion

Tesla is now offering 2,000 free Supercharging miles to any gas car owner who chooses to trade their car in on a Tesla. The promotion requires a gas or hybrid electric vehicle to be turned in for any of the vehicles in Tesla’s lineup.

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48 minutes ago

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October 31, 2025

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla is targeting gas car owners with a crazy new promotion launched on October 31, its latest move to boost sales amidst the loss of the $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit, which went away on September 30.

Tesla is now offering 2,000 free Supercharging miles to any gas car owner who chooses to trade their car in on a Tesla. The promotion requires a gas or hybrid electric vehicle to be turned in for any of the vehicles in Tesla’s lineup.

If you do that, you get 2,000 free miles of Supercharging, which can be utilized at any of the chargers on the Tesla network within the next two years:

Supercharging is rarely a Tesla owner’s primary source of charging, but for some owners, it is critical to their ownership experience.

While many homeowners or apartment dwellers are able to utilize charging infrastructure they either installed themselves or were provided by their property management company, others are totally reliant on the wide variety of charging options that are available today.

Tesla’s Supercharging Network has expanded rapidly over the past few years, mostly in preparation for the company to open it to other EV manufacturers, most of which have adopted the company’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) in the United States.

Its latest quarterly earnings Shareholder Deck revealed a 16 percent increase in stations in Q3 compared to the same timeframe in 2024. Meanwhile, connectors have increased by 18 percent in the same timeframe. There are over 73,800 connectors in the Tesla Supercharger Network globally.

The move could be looked at as a way to incentivize people to switch to electric vehicles, and it is something we have seen Tesla experiment with over the past month.

It has played with leasing terms, and we will likely see more incentive offers, like this Supercharging one or even Full Self-Driving trials for those who choose to make the switch over the next two months.

Tesla routinely offers some tasty deals in Q4 as it aims to round out the year with a strong delivery and production report for investors. Q4 is statistically Tesla’s strongest three-month period in any given year. However, Q3 was Tesla’s strongest performance in terms of vehicle deliveries in company history, as it narrowly missed the elusive 500,000 mark for a quarter.

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Tesla Cybercab sighting highlights big change since 2024 unveiling

Based on an image recently taken of the vehicle, it appears that Tesla has made the Cybercab’s cabin easier to get in and out of.

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1 hour ago

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October 31, 2025

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Credit: @tzmartin/YouTube

A recent sighting of the Tesla Cybercab in the wild has teased a pretty interesting update that has been implemented on the autonomous two-seater. 

Based on an image recently taken of the vehicle, it appears that Tesla has made the Cybercab’s cabin easier to get in and out of. 

Recent Cybercab sightings

As per recent posts on social media, it appears Tesla has started testing the Cybercab on public roads. Images posted by Tesla community members in Palo Alto showed a Cybercab prototype being driven near the company’s engineering headquarters. Interestingly enough, the vehicle was equipped with a steering wheel. 

It’s not just the Cybercab’s steering wheel that caught a lot of attention, however. Based on observations by EV watchers online, it appears that Tesla has also made the Cybercab’s door a bit larger. This should make it easier for passengers to get into and out of the autonomous two-seater. The position of the camera in the B-pillar also appears to have been adjusted slightly. 

All-in on autonomy

While Cybercab prototypes that are seen in the wild today are fitted with a steering wheel, the vehicle will be produced strictly as an autonomous Robotaxi. This was highlighted by Elon Musk during the third-quarter earnings call. Musk also expects about 2 million Cybercabs to be produced every year, making it the company’s highest-volume vehicle. 

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“The single biggest expansion in production will be the Cybercab, which starts production in Q2 next year. That’s really a vehicle that’s optimized for full autonomy. It, in fact, does not have a steering wheel or pedals and is really an enduring optimization on minimizing cost per mile for fully considered cost per mile of operation,” Musk said during the Q3 2025 earnings call. 

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Tesla Robotaxi test units spotted in new region ahead of launch

These validation units are used to gain additional data for Tesla’s internal use, or even potentially for regulatory purposes that the company can share with agencies that will eventually grant a license to operate Robotaxi in the state.

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2 hours ago

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October 31, 2025

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Credit: @MWraps30584 | X

Tesla Robotaxi test units are being spotted in various new regions ahead of their launch in new states. Tesla is aiming to launch in at least a few new states in the coming months as it is ramping up hiring for the Robotaxi program and aiming to expand its ride-hailing service.

Already active in Austin, Texas, and the California Bay Area, Tesla is looking to expand its Robotaxi operations to new states. It’s had its eyes set on Nevada, Florida, and Arizona, which have seemed to have the most movement of the three prospects over the past month or so.

That trend is continuing.

Earlier this month, we reported on two Robotaxi units spotted testing with LiDAR rigs for ground truth validation in Gilbert, Arizona. Noted Cybertruck owner and enthusiast Greggertruck spotted the two units traveling on a highway.

Tesla Robotaxi testing in Arizona is ramping up quickly

Now, those same two units, or at least they appear to be, were spotted in Scottsdale, which is also a suburb of Phoenix, like Gilbert is, with the same LiDAR rigs:

These validation units are used to gain additional data for Tesla’s internal use, or even potentially for regulatory purposes that the company can share with agencies that will eventually grant a license to operate Robotaxi in the state.

Tesla is not a company that utilizes LiDAR for its everyday self-driving efforts, as it has utilized only cameras for the past several years.

Tesla Vision, as the company calls it, is what CEO Elon Musk feels is needed to achieve a fully autonomous network of vehicles, which will eventually need zero supervision for passenger transportation.

LiDAR is utilized by other companies, like Waymo, but Tesla has maintained that it is not necessary for several years. Musk has called it a “crutch” for achieving the proper self-driving tech, and the company only uses it for an additional bit of data.

Tesla has been operating its Robotaxi service in Austin since late June, and it has expanded its service area in the city to nearly 300 square miles, with its most recent expansion occurring earlier this week.

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