Impulse Space Propulsion

Impulse Space Propulsion

Impulse Space Propulsion

Space is more accessible than ever, but efficiently moving payloads into higher energy orbits remains a challenge. At Impulse Space Propulsion we're changing that by providing agile, economical capabilities to access any orbit.

Created: 2021-09-18

Updated: 2024-07-11

Company - Impulse Space Propulsion

Founded
Country
2021
USA
Funding
$75M
Website
https://www.impulsespace.com/
Social
Impulse Space Propulsion

Product/Service - Mira, LEO Express, Helios

Classification
In-Space Transportation
Category
Space Tug
Commercial Lander
Commercial Mars Lander
Fields
In-Space Transportation
Status
Demonstrated
First launch
2023

Founded 2021 September, Impulse Space will initially seek to provide "last mile" delivery services for satellites launched as part of rideshare missions, likely including on SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9 rocket. Eventually, the company plans to expand its in-space transportation services to geostationary space, the Moon, and beyond.

Space Tug

Impulse Space will seek to complement these launch services with sustainable delivery in space, using green propellants and having vehicles with de-orbit capability. Matsumori said the company recognizes that if tens or hundreds of satellites will be launching on these heavy-lift rockets, they're going to need to reach different orbits and have different purposes.

"One of the things I've always thought about, even going back to my SpaceX days, is what happens to space if the cost of access to space is essentially free?" Matsumori said. "What can one imagine happening to the space economy? And the answer is that there are some capabilities before that were challenging, such as pharmaceuticals, or materials, or semiconductors. If the cost of access gets that low, then these industries are possible."

The company's initial business strategy involves low Earth orbit, but it envisions the need for sustainable transportation from the Earth to the Moon—in the form of a tug—and the storage and movement of propellant in both low Earth orbit and the lunar environment. Once a company mines a space resource, after all, it will have to go somewhere.

First orbital mission, LEO Express-1. Utilizing Mira, Impulse’s first orbital service vehicle, this mission will perform in-space services, including last-mile orbital payload delivery, payload hosting, very low altitude maneuvers and controlled atmospheric re-entry. Impulse has procured a launch slot for this mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of SpaceX’s Transporter-9 mission and is committed to meeting the current launch timeline of Q4 2023.

With an oversubscribed funding round, Impulse Space will be continuing its progress with its work in upcoming missions, such as LEO Express-1, a GEO refueling mission and the upcoming mission to Mars. Specifically, this funding will support the development of Impulse’s largest vehicle yet, called Helios. The Helios kick stage enables direct to Geostationary Equatorial Orbit missions, thus bypassing the need for a Geostationary Transfer Orbit.

Impulse Space said its LEO Express-1 mission, using a transfer vehicle it is developing called Mira, is manifested for launch on SpaceX’s Transporter-9 rideshare mission currently scheduled for launch in the fourth quarter of 2023.

HEO Announces Partnership with Impulse Space for Non-Earth Imaging Services, 2024-02-06.

Helios

With a powerful new engine developed by veterans of the Merlin team, Helios is designed to transport 5+ tons from LEO to GEO in less than 24 hours.

Helios is powered by a new 15,000 lbf (67 kN) engine, Deneb, which would burn up to 14,000 kg of propellant across each mission. The design and development team includes many veterans of the SpaceX Merlin engine, the most reliable rocket engine in history.

Using the nontoxic, high-performance propellant combination of liquid oxygen and liquid methane, the same as Starship and Relativity’s Terran R, Deneb is future-proofed for on-pad operations. Deneb's first engine test-fires are scheduled for mid-2024, and the first demo launch of Helios is targeted for early 2026.

Engines

Impulse was also chosen as the propulsion provider for Vast’s private station, Haven-1, which is also scheduled to launch in 2025. 

Mars Missions

Impulse will deliver the first commercial payload to Mars’ surface on Relativity’s fully reusable, entirely 3D printed launch vehicle. With an anticipated launch window starting in 2024, the historic partnership rapidly advances the companies’ shared goal of a multiplanetary existence for humanity. Under the exclusive agreement,

Status Comment / Notes

Link

Sources


Most sources should be linked in the texts and headings as revealed by mouse-over, but here are they listed for visibility.

[1] https://www.impulsespace.com/

[2] https://twitter.com/lrocket/status/1439078509872234497

[3] https://spacenews.com/impulse-space-announces-first-orbital-transfer-vehicle-mission/

[4] https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/24/impulse-space-is-flying-high-with-new-funding-led-by-rtx-ventures/

News, Research, Projects and Patents

Title Type Date Summary
Impulse Space announces first orbital transfer vehicle mission News 2023-01-05

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