Santa Fe-based Solstar Space Company announced today that its Deke Space Communicator™ has been successfully launched to orbit and is now operating nominally in space, following its March 30, 2026 flight aboard a spacecraft operated by Momentus Inc. on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
SANTA FE, N.M., April 27, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Santa Fe-based Solstar Space Company announced today that its Deke Space Communicator™ has been successfully launched to orbit and is now operating nominally in space, following its March 30, 2026 flight aboard a spacecraft operated by Momentus Inc. on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
After orbital insertion, the Deke system was powered on in orbit on April 15, confirming that it survived the rigors of launch and is functioning as designed. Solstar has since verified that the system is operating nominally and, in several areas, exceeding initial expectations.
Initial on-orbit results include:
- Successful activation of the Deke system
- Two-way data transmission
- Onboard Wi-Fi operating nominally in orbit
These results represent the first operational validation of Deke's core communications capabilities in space, advancing the system to Technology Readiness Level 9—the highest level of technical maturity, defined as a "flight-proven" system through successful mission operations.
The Deke Space Communicator is named in honor of Deke Slayton, a member of NASA's Mercury Seven, who played a pivotal role in helping Solstar founder Brian Barnett secure his first position at NASA.
Enabling Connectivity in Space
As the number of spacecraft in orbit continues to grow, Solstar is developing technology designed to connect spacecraft to internet-style networks. Enabling operators to access onboard systems and data more easily and efficiently.
The Deke Space Communicator is a compact communications device designed to provide secure, low-latency data connectivity for spacecraft, supporting applications such as telemetry access, remote operations, and future astronaut connectivity.
"Spacecraft today are essentially powerful computers operating in orbit, but most are still largely disconnected from modern networking infrastructure," said Brian Barnett, Founder and CEO of Solstar. "Deke is now demonstrating in orbit how spacecraft can connect the way devices do on Earth, creating the communications layer for space."
From Launch to On-Orbit Performance
The mission was conducted in partnership with Momentus, whose Vigoride orbital service vehicle is hosting the Solstar payload. The flight brings together commercial and government partners to demonstrate next-generation space technologies in orbit.
Solstar is also supporting a commercial rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) mission in collaboration with NASA. In this experiment, a NASA CubeSat deployed from Vigoride will transfer back large data and image files via Solstar's Deke Space Communicator for downlink to the ground for analysis.
This first-of-its-kind data sharing, facilitated by communications crosslink, paves the way for lower-cost inspection capabilities using CubeSats. These types of missions could play an important role in future space activities, including satellite servicing, in-orbit assembly, and commercial space stations.
"Connectivity becomes even more important when spacecraft are operating together in complex missions," Barnett said. "Our work with NASA helps demonstrate how technologies like Deke can support entirely new classes of space operations."
Solstar previously worked with NASA's Flight Opportunities program to test its technology aboard commercial suborbital vehicles, helping prepare it for this orbital mission.
The mission also includes collaboration with Swiss on-orbit compute company DPhi Space, which is utilizing the Deke system as part of its space operations.
Media Inquiries | Brian Barnett | [email protected] | +1 505-389-2299, ext. 1
About Solstar Space Company
Solstar Space Company is building the communications infrastructure for space, enabling spacecraft, space stations, and astronauts to connect seamlessly to the internet and cloud services. With customers and partners across government and commercial space sectors, Solstar is working to build the communications layer that will support the rapidly expanding space economy.
Visit https://www.solstarspace.com.
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Media Contact
Brian Barnett, Solstar Space Company, 1 505-389-2299 1, [email protected], solstarspace.com
SOURCE Solstar Space Company
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