Impulse Space is a

startup A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship includes all new businesses including self-employment and businesses that do not intend to ...

founded in 2021 developing in-space transportation technology and services for satellites that fly to

Low Earth Orbit A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an geocentric orbit, orbit around Earth with a orbital period, period of 128 minutes or less (making at least 11.25 orbits per day) and an orbital eccentricity, eccentricity less than 0.25. Most of the artificial object ...

but then need to reach other

orbits In celestial mechanics, an orbit (also known as orbital revolution) is the curved trajectory of an physical body, object such as the trajectory of a planet around a star, or of a natural satellite around a planet, or of an satellite, artificia ...

. The company was founded by

Tom Mueller Thomas John Mueller is an American aerospace engineer and rocket engine designer. He was employee No.1 of SpaceX and is the founder and now CEO of Impulse Space. Mueller is best known for his engineering work on the Merlin, Draco, Super Draco ...

, employee No.1 at

SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly referred to as SpaceX, is an America, American space technology company headquartered at the SpaceX Starbase, Starbase development site in Starbase, Texas. Since its founding in 2002, the compa ...

and principal engineer of the

Merlin The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) is an interferometer array of radio telescopes spread across England. The array is run from Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire by the University of Manchester on behalf of UK Re ...

and Draco rocket engines that power the

Falcon 9 Falcon 9 is a Reusable launch system#Partial reusable launch systems, partially reusable, two-stage-to-orbit, medium-lift launch vehicle designed and manufactured in the United States by SpaceX. The first Falcon 9 launch was on June 4, 2010, an ...

and

Dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

spacecraft.

Orbital Transfer Vehicles

Impulse Space designs and manufactures orbital transfer vehicles, sometimes called space tugs, to move satellites and payloads throughout space.

Mira

The size of a dishwasher, a Mira orbital transfer vehicle weighs approximately when loaded with propellant. It uses Saiph

bipropellant The highest specific impulse chemical rockets use liquid propellants (liquid-propellant rockets). They can consist of a single chemical (a monopropellant) or a mix of two chemicals, called bipropellants. Bipropellants can further be divided into ...

thrusters which have a

specific impulse Specific impulse (usually abbreviated ) is a measure of how efficiently a reaction mass engine, such as a rocket engine, rocket using propellant or a jet engine using fuel, generates thrust. In general, this is a ratio of the ''Impulse (physics), ...

(I_sp) of 290 s. It can impart a

delta-v Delta-''v'' (also known as "change in velocity"), symbolized as and pronounced , as used in spacecraft flight dynamics, is a measure of the impulse per unit of spacecraft mass that is needed to perform a maneuver such as launching from or l ...

of from 500 m/s with 300 kg payload to 900 m/s with 100 kg payload. In November 2023 the first Mira flight was launched as part the

Transporter-9 mission. Orbit Fab, in a mission funded by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), has contracted Impulse on a GEO in-space refueling mission using Mira.

Helios

On January 17, 2024, Impulse announced their new high-energy kick stage, Helios. It is intended to propel up to 4 tons launched on a Falcon 9 and 5 tons on Relativity's Terran R vehicle from LEO directly into geostationary orbit. With a diameter of just under 3.5 meters, Helios is sized to fit within a Falcon 9 fairing. A Deneb engine providing of thrust will burn up to of liquid oxygen and liquid methane propellant. On September 16, 2024, Impulse indicated the first flight of Helios was scheduled for 2026. In May 2025, Impulse signed a multi-launch agreement with communications satellite operator, SES to use Helios to lift four-ton SES satellites launched to LEO into

geostationary orbit A geostationary orbit, also referred to as a geosynchronous equatorial orbit''Geostationary orbit'' and ''Geosynchronous (equatorial) orbit'' are used somewhat interchangeably in sources. (GEO), is a circular orbit, circular geosynchronous or ...

, with the first mission in 2027.

Mars Lander

In July 2022, Impulse Space announced a joint mission with

Relativity Space Relativity Space Inc. is an American aerospace manufacturer, aerospace manufacturing company headquartered in Long Beach, California. Relativity Space is new product development, developing manufacturing technologies, launch vehicles, and rock ...

to land on Mars. Impulse is responsible for building the lander itself, the cruise stage and the entry capsule. Relativity would launch the spacecraft on its Terran R, which is currently under development. The mission has since moved to a 2026 launch date.

Rocket engines

Since the founding of Impulse in 2021, the company has developed several rocket engines — Saiph, Rigel, and Deneb — for use in spacecraft.

Saiph

On May 10, 2023, an Impulse Space press release announced the successful qualification of their 5 lbf (22 N) Saiph thruster. Using the propellants of

nitrous oxide Nitrous oxide (dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide), commonly known as laughing gas, nitrous, or factitious air, among others, is a chemical compound, an Nitrogen oxide, oxide of nitrogen with the Chemical formula, formula . At room te ...

and

ethane Ethane ( , ) is a naturally occurring Organic compound, organic chemical compound with chemical formula . At standard temperature and pressure, ethane is a colorless, odorless gas. Like many hydrocarbons, ethane is List of purification methods ...

, the thruster achieved a burn duration of 12 continuous minutes and 50,000 pulses over the 17 day qualification period. Saiph thruster uses spark ignition. The company incorporated eight Saiph thrusters into their Mira spacecraft, which launched to space September 2023 on the SpaceX Transporter-9 mission. The company announced their successful firings of all eight thrusters in a November 2023 mission update. Vast, a privately funded commercial space station company, procured Impulse's Saiph thrusters and propulsion hardware for its

Haven-1 Haven-1 is a planned space station in low Earth orbit that is currently in development by American aerospace company Vast (company), Vast. The station is expected to launch no earlier than May 2026 atop a SpaceX Falcon 9. The first mission to Hav ...

mission. In May 2023, Vast unveiled its Haven-1 station and announced that SpaceX would launch the spacecraft and provide taxi services to the future habitat.

Rigel

Rigel was the company's first rocket engine, designed for use on Impulse's Mars Lander vehicle. The engine has undergone extensive testing from the company's

Mojave Air and Space Port The Mojave Air and Space Port at Rutan Field is in Mojave, California, United States, at an elevation of . It is the first facility to be licensed in the United States for horizontal launches of reusable spacecraft, being certified as a s ...

facilities.

Deneb

Deneb is a 15,000 lbf (67 kN) staged combustion cycle engine that uses liquid oxygen (LOX) and methane as propellants. It is being developed as the main engine of Impulse's Helios vehicle and would burn 14,000 kg of propellant across each mission.

Corporate affairs

Investors

Impulse Space investors include

Founders Fund Founders Fund is an American venture capital fund formed in 2005 and based in San Francisco. The fund has roughly $17 billion in total assets under management as of 2025. Founders Fund was the first institutional investor in Space Exploration T ...

Lux Capital Lux Capital is a venture capital firm based in New York City. It was founded in 2000, and focuses on investments in emerging technologies. History Lux Capital was founded in 2000 by Peter Hébert, Robert Paull and Josh Wolfe. In April 2011, for ...

, Airbus Ventures, Space Capital, RTX Ventures and Venture Capitalist Dovi Frances.

Board of Directors

Facilities

Impulse Space operates from three American locations. Its corporate headquarters operate from a 60,000-square-foot facility in Redondo Beach, California. In February 2023, the company opened an office in Boulder, Colorado. Rocket engine tests are conducted at the

References

{{reflist Aerospace companies of the United States Private spaceflight companies American companies established in 2021 2021 establishments in California Companies based in Los Angeles County, California