Companies Plan to Demonstrate Wi-Fi Connectivity in 2026 on SpaceX Rideshare Launch

Momentus Inc., a U.S. commercial space company offering satellite buses, technologies, transportation, and other in-space infrastructure services, and Solstar Space Company (“Solstar”), a U.S. space communications company making on-orbit WiFi communications available, are pleased to announce the signing of a strategic partnership agreement. Momentus and Solstar Space will collaborate to make new ways of operating in space possible by enabling our 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 in 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 they use Wi-Fi 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 Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) on a mission that will be launched on an upcoming SpaceX Transporter rideshare as soon as early 2026. The Deke Space Communicator will provide on-demand Wi-Fi and narrowband Internet connectivity for Momentus and its customers.

Through our partnership, our companies plan to accelerate development and demonstration of our technologies and substantially improve our 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 our customers to utilize 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.”

Source: BUSINESS WIRE