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Mira
Orbital transfer and hosting spacecraft built for aggressive maneuvering, marketed as the most maneuverable vehicle on orbit. It delivers, deploys, and hosts payloads across LEO, MEO, GEO, and cislunar space.
Impulse Space builds the vehicles that move payloads once a rocket has done its job, a business the company calls in-space mobility.
Latest update Oct 7, 2026
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Overview
It was founded in 2021 by Tom Mueller, SpaceX's founding propulsion engineer and the architect of the Merlin engine, and sells two vehicles: Mira, a highly maneuverable 300 kg-class orbital transfer and hosting spacecraft that has flown three missions since November 2023, and Helios, a high-energy kick stage powered by the 67 kN Deneb methalox engine that is designed to carry a payload from low Earth orbit to geostationary orbit in under a day rather than the months an electric tug needs. In July 2026 the U.S. Space Force awarded Impulse a National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 contract, making it the first upper-stage provider ever to hold prime status in a program historically reserved for rocket companies, and in June 2026 the company raised a $500 million Series D that took total funding past $1 billion. Mira has now completed two close-proximity campaigns: the December 2025 Remora autonomous rendezvous with Starfish Space, and a July 2026 flyby in which the LEO Express 2 Mira closed to less than 200 meters of the LEO Express 3 Mira, announced on September 8, 2026. A fourth Mira flight, LEO Express 4, is manifested on SpaceX's Bandwagon-5 rideshare as an Impulse-only checkout of the upgraded vehicle. Helios is now targeted for its inaugural flight in 2027, and a third product line, the in-house Electra electric propulsion system, debuts alongside it.
impulsespace.comUpdated Sep 12, 2026
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What's next7
Oct 2026
Fly LEO Express 4, the fourth Mira checkout
Launch the Impulse-only LEO Express 4 Mira on SpaceX's Bandwagon-5 mid-inclination rideshare from Cape Canaveral, manifested via Exolaunch, to wring out the upgraded vehicle's higher delta-v, rapid thruster firings, and new avionics with no customer payloads aboard. Impulse's mission page does not name a date; independent trackers list Bandwagon-5 no earlier than October 2026. Mira's product page still lists three missions flown.
H1 2027
Fly Helios for the first time
Bring the Deneb-powered high-energy kick stage through qualification to its inaugural launch. Helios is the vehicle the company's GEO and cislunar business depends on, and it also gates both the Space Force's VICTUS SURGO mission and the debut Caravan 1 GEO rideshare mission, which carries commercial anchor customers SES, Astranis, and Infinite Orbits and has a fully booked, closed manifest. As of August 2026, Impulse and the Space Force both target the first half of 2027 for Helios's first flights, a more precise window than the general 2027 target cited in July 2026.
H1 2027
Debut Electra electric propulsion in space
Complete flight-engine qualification and integrate Electra with Mira, then fly it operationally on the GEO Express 1 mission as part of Caravan 1, Impulse's first dedicated Falcon 9 GEO rideshare, now fully booked and targeted for the first half of 2027, giving Impulse a hybrid chemical plus electric architecture.
H1 2027
Fly the VICTUS SURGO and VICTUS SALO responsive missions
Execute the Tactically Responsive Space missions awarded under Impulse's SBIR Phase III contract with Space Systems Command, now worth $90.8M cumulative: VICTUS SURGO, where Helios delivers a Mira carrying a commercial optical payload to geosynchronous orbit, VICTUS SALO 1, a low Earth orbit mission with an MIT-built payload flying on a SpaceX Transporter rideshare, and the VICTUS SALO 2 and SALO 3 missions added in August 2026, each delivering a Mira to host government payloads in low Earth orbit. Space Systems Command now targets the first half of 2027 for SURGO and SALO 1.
2027
Run the Anduril GEO rendezvous-and-proximity-operations demo
Ride Helios to geosynchronous orbit, detach, and use Anduril's mission data processor, long-wave infrared imager, and other sensor payloads to autonomously image and maneuver around designated objects without direct human control, a strategically watched capability given how much high-value military and commercial hardware sits in GEO. Anduril and Impulse originally targeted late 2026 for this demo when they announced it in September 2025, but it rides the same Helios vehicle now confirmed for a first half of 2027 debut, pushing the demo's realistic window to 2027 as well.
Q1 2028
Fly Caravan 2, the second GEO rideshare
After Caravan 1's closed first-half-2027 manifest, Impulse has booked Caravan 2 for the first quarter of 2028 with a waitlist, plus a shared Helios mission in 2028 and Caravan 3 in the fourth quarter of 2028, as it tries to move GEO rideshare from about one mission a year toward two. The step only matters if Helios flies in 2027.
Through June 2029
Convert NSSL Lane 1 prime status into mission task orders
Complete the initial $5 million firm-fixed-price task order and compete for National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 missions as an upper-stage prime, the first time the program has contracted a company that does not build a rocket. The Space Force raised the Lane 1 ceiling to roughly $17 billion in July 2026.
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Latest news5
Impulse Space extends Series D to $808 million
Impulse Space said on September 16 it raised a $308 million extension to its Series D, taking the round to $808 million with participation from existing investors 137 Ventures, BANNER VC, DFJ Growth, Linse Capital, Lux Capital and Valor Equity Partners. Reuters reported the extension values the in-space mobility company at $5.6 billion, up from $4.26 billion at the $500 million first close in June, and said the capital will accelerate hiring and manufacturing against a commercial and government backlog. Impulse also named its first chief financial officer, Adam Townsend, who was CFO of Vizio through its IPO and sale to Walmart.
Impulse Space books its GEO rideshare missions through 2028
Impulse Space said at the Small Satellite Conference on August 25 that its Helios-powered geostationary rideshare program is booked three missions deep through 2028: Caravan 1 (first half of 2027, manifest closed), Caravan 2 (Q1 2028, waitlisted) and Caravan 3 (Q4 2028). The company said it is moving from about one Caravan mission a year toward roughly two a year as demand grows from space-domain-awareness, life-extension and communications customers looking for cheaper, faster access to geostationary orbit.
Impulse Space wins $28M Space Force contract extension
Impulse Space said on August 12 it was selected by the Space Force's Space Systems Command for a $28 million Small Business Innovation Research Phase III contract extension covering two additional Tactically Responsive Space missions, VICTUS SALO 2 and VICTUS SALO 3. Under the award, Impulse will deliver two more Mira spacecraft to host government payloads for low Earth orbit missions, building on the SBIR Phase III vehicle that already funds Impulse's VICTUS SURGO and VICTUS SALO 1 missions and that the Space Force expanded to $62.8 million in late July.
Space Force expands Impulse Space's Mira contract to $62.8M
The U.S. Space Force awarded Impulse Space a $27.77 million contract modification on July 28 for two additional Mira maneuverable spacecraft carrying government payloads for space domain awareness in low Earth orbit. The modification, under the same Small Business Innovation Research Phase III vehicle that first funded Impulse's VICTUS SURGO and VICTUS SALO missions, brings the cumulative contract value to $62.8 million, with work at Impulse's Redondo Beach facility running through March 2030.
Impulse Space unveils in-house Electra electric propulsion system
Impulse Space introduced Electra on July 28, its first electric propulsion system, developed from concept to a working unit in under six months and built almost entirely in-house at its Redondo Beach facility. Electra offloads long-duration tasks like stationkeeping from the company's Mira orbital transfer vehicle, preserving Mira's chemical propellant for rapid maneuvers, and is set for its first in-space demonstration on the Caravan 1 mission next year.
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Products3
In DevelopmentHelios
High-energy kick stage powered by a single Deneb methalox engine, designed to take payloads from a medium-lift rocket's low Earth orbit drop-off to GEO, translunar injection, or Earth escape without waiting months on electric propulsion.
In DevelopmentElectra
Impulse's first in-house electric propulsion system, built to handle long-duration stationkeeping so a spacecraft's chemical propellant stays reserved for rapid, responsive maneuvers.
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Key metrics
- Employees
- ~370
- Est. annual revenue
- Not publicly disclosed
three flown Mira missions plus government task orders; company cites roughly $200M in backlog across 30+ contracts
- Total Funding
Over $1.3B raised to date, after the September 2026 $308M Series D extension took that round to $808M
- Valuation
~$5.6B at the September 2026 Series D extension, per Reuters, up from $4.26B at the June 2026 first close
- Missions Flown
- 3
(LEO Express 1, 2, and 3; all Mira). A fourth Impulse-only Mira checkout, LEO Express 4, is manifested on SpaceX Bandwagon-5 and has not yet launched.
- On-orbit RPO demonstrations
- 2: Dec 2025 Remora
(LEO-2 to ~1,250 m of LEO-1, Starfish-guided) and July 2026 LEO-2/LEO-3 flyby to less than 200 m
- Customer Contracts
30+ government and commercial contracts, roughly $200M in backlog, including new Helios/Caravan multi-launch agreements with SES, Astranis, and Infinite Orbits
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Operations & revenue
Operating status
Operational (Mira) / Pre-Flight (Helios)
Mira is flight proven across three missions and bookable with a 12-month lead time. It has now completed two close-proximity campaigns: the December 2025 Remora autonomous rendezvous and a July 2026 flyby in which LEO Express 2 closed to less than 200 meters of LEO Express 3, announced September 8, 2026. A fourth Mira, LEO Express 4, is manifested as an Impulse-only checkout on SpaceX Bandwagon-5 (trackers list that rideshare no earlier than October 2026) and has not launched. Helios has not yet flown; Impulse's first Helios flights, including the Space Force's VICTUS SURGO mission and the debut Caravan 1 GEO rideshare mission (fully booked and rescheduled from an earlier 2026 target to the first half of 2027), are now targeted for H1 2027, which also gates a planned GEO rendezvous-and-proximity-operations demonstration with Anduril. Commercial demand for Helios has grown alongside the schedule: SES, Astranis, and Infinite Orbits have all signed multi-launch agreements to move satellites to GEO on Helios starting in 2027, and Impulse is scaling the Caravan rideshare cadence toward roughly two GEO missions a year through 2029. The company closed a $500M Series D in June 2026 at a $4.26B valuation, won NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 prime status in July 2026, twice expanded its Tactically Responsive Space SBIR contract in August 2026 to a cumulative $90.8M, and is scaling manufacturing across Redondo Beach, Boulder (including a 20,000-square-foot GNC and machine-shop facility opened March 2026), Mojave, and a Washington DC office.
Revenue streams
Mira Orbital Transfer & Hosting Missions
Last-mile payload delivery, hosted payload operations, and on-orbit maneuvering services sold as dedicated Mira missions across LEO, MEO, GEO, and cislunar space.
Kick-stage services that lift payloads from a medium-lift rocket's LEO drop-off to GTO, GEO, translunar injection, or Earth escape, positioned as a cheaper alternative to buying a heavy-lift launch. Anchor commercial customers SES, Astranis, and Infinite Orbits have signed multi-launch Helios agreements for 2027.
Dedicated Falcon 9 missions on which Impulse aggregates customer payloads and carries them to high-energy orbits via Helios, giving smaller operators scheduled access to GEO and beyond. Caravan 1 is fully booked and now targeted for the first half of 2027; Impulse is scaling toward roughly two Caravan missions a year through 2029 amid strong demand.
Tactically Responsive Space work for the U.S. Space Force under a SBIR Phase III contract now worth $90.8M cumulative (VICTUS SURGO, SALO 1, SALO 2 and SALO 3), plus task orders competed under the NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 IDIQ awarded in July 2026.
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Timeline14
2026
Series D extended by $308M to $808M; first CFO hired
On September 16, 2026 Impulse announced a $308 million extension of its Series D, taking the round to $808 million, with existing investors 137 Ventures, BANNER VC, DFJ Growth, Linse Capital, Lux Capital and Valor Equity Partners participating. Reuters reported the extension valued Impulse at $5.6 billion, up from $4.26 billion at the June first close, and said the money funds faster hiring and more manufacturing capacity against a commercial and government backlog. Impulse also appointed its first chief financial officer, Adam Townsend, previously CFO of Vizio through its IPO and sale to Walmart and before that a senior finance executive at CBS, Showtime Networks and E*TRADE.
LEO Express 4 announced as Impulse-only Mira checkout on Bandwagon-5
Impulse posted a LEO Express 4 mission page for the fourth Mira flight: an Impulse-only checkout with no customer payloads, manifested via Exolaunch on SpaceX's Bandwagon-5 mid-inclination rideshare from Cape Canaveral. The flight is meant to wring out the upgraded Mira's higher delta-v, rapid thruster firings, and new avionics ahead of customer GEO work. Independent launch trackers list Bandwagon-5 no earlier than October 2026. Mira's product page still lists three missions flown, so the fourth vehicle has not yet launched.
LEO Express 2 and 3 Miras close to less than 200 meters
On September 8, 2026 Impulse published the results of a summer flyby campaign: after a February plane-change burn and spring alignment burns, the LEO Express 2 Mira executed a series of July close approaches to LEO Express 3, starting at about 820 meters and finishing at less than 200 meters. Starfish Space and HEO captured imagery of both vehicles. Impulse called it Mira's second close-proximity series after the December 2025 Remora rendezvous, and said the in-house GNC, propulsion, and mission-operations stack is now proven for space-domain-awareness and tactical re-tasking work.
Caravan GEO rideshare program scales on strong demand, Caravan 1 reset to H1 2027
At the Small Satellite Conference on August 25, 2026, Impulse discloses that its Caravan GEO rideshare program is now booked three missions deep through 2028: Caravan 1 (first half of 2027, manifest closed), Caravan 2 (Q1 2028, waitlisted), and a Caravan 3 mission (Q4 2028), with Caravan 4 and 5 eyed for 2029. The debut Caravan 1 mission, earlier framed around a 2026 target, is now precisely dated to the first half of 2027, and Impulse says it is moving from one Caravan mission a year toward roughly two per year given demand from space domain awareness, life-extension, and communications customers.
SBIR contract extended again for VICTUS SALO 2 and 3
On August 12, 2026 Space Systems Command's Space Safari Office selects Impulse for a further $28 million extension of its SBIR Phase III contract, covering two more Tactically Responsive Space missions, VICTUS SALO 2 and VICTUS SALO 3. Impulse will deliver two additional Mira spacecraft to host government payloads in low Earth orbit, following the $27.77M expansion announced two weeks earlier.
Space Force expands Mira SBIR contract to $62.8M
On July 28, 2026 the U.S. Space Force modifies Impulse's Small Business Innovation Research Phase III contract, adding $27.77 million for two more Mira spacecraft carrying government payloads for space domain awareness in low Earth orbit. The modification brings the cumulative value of the VICTUS SURGO/SALO-era contract to $62.8 million, with work at Redondo Beach running through March 2030.
Electra electric propulsion unveiled
On July 28, 2026 Impulse introduces Electra, its first in-house electric propulsion system, developed from concept to working system in under six months. Electra handles long-duration stationkeeping so Mira's chemical propellant stays available for rapid maneuvers, and is qualifying flight engines for integration with Mira.
First upper-stage company to win NSSL prime status
On July 8, 2026 Space Systems Command awards Impulse a National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 IDIQ contract with an initial $5 million firm-fixed-price task order, making Impulse the first upper-stage provider to serve as a prime contractor in a program that had only ever contracted rocket companies. Pairing Helios with a medium-lift launcher is positioned as a cheaper route to high-energy orbits than a heavy-lift rocket.
2026
$500M Series D takes total funding past $1 billion
On June 3, 2026 Impulse closes a $500 million Series D co-led by 137 Ventures and BANNER VC with participation from Founders Fund, Lux Capital, and Linse Capital, bringing total capital raised to more than $1 billion. The company says it more than doubled headcount over the prior year and is expanding facilities in Redondo Beach, Boulder, Mojave, and Washington DC.
2025
Two Mira spacecraft complete an autonomous rendezvous
In December 2025 Impulse and Starfish Space announce the completion of the Remora mission: Starfish payloads aboard the LEO Express 2 Mira guided it through a fully autonomous rendezvous and proximity operation with the LEO Express 1 Mira already in orbit, using a single lightweight camera and closed-loop guidance software. The mission went from concept to launch readiness in nine months.
Second and third Mira missions fly
LEO Express 2 launches on SpaceX's Transporter-12 rideshare in January 2025, and LEO Express 3 follows in November 2025, taking Impulse to three flown missions and giving the company two Mira spacecraft simultaneously on orbit.
2024
$34.5M Space Systems Command contract for VICTUS SURGO and VICTUS SALO
The U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command awards Impulse a $34.5 million SBIR Phase III contract covering two Tactically Responsive Space missions: VICTUS SURGO, in which Helios carries a Mira to geosynchronous orbit, and VICTUS SALO, a low Earth orbit mission carrying an MIT-built payload.
2023
2021
Founded by SpaceX propulsion architect Tom Mueller
Tom Mueller, SpaceX's first employee on propulsion and the designer of the Merlin engine family, leaves to found Impulse Space in Redondo Beach with the thesis that the bottleneck in space is no longer reaching orbit but moving around once you are there.
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Funding
$1.3Bdisclosed across 5 rounds with a stated amount
Cumulative disclosed raise · dated rounds
RoundAmountInvestors
Series A
Jul 2023
RTX Ventures (lead), Founders Fund, Lux Capital, Airbus Ventures, Space Capital
Series B
Oct 2024
Founders Fund (lead), RTX Ventures, DCVC, Airbus Ventures, and others
Series C
Jun 2025
Linse Capital (lead), DFJ Growth, Valor Equity Partners, Founders Fund, Lux Capital, RTX Ventures, DCVC, Airbus Ventures, and others
Series D
Jun 2026
137 Ventures and BANNER VC (co-leads), Founders Fund, Lux Capital, Linse Capital
Series D extension
Sep 2026
$308M (round total $808M; ~$5.6B valuation per Reuters)
137 Ventures, BANNER VC, DFJ Growth, Linse Capital, Lux Capital, Valor Equity Partners, among others
