Impulse Space secures $150M in Series B funding to drive growth

Impulse Space secures $150M in Series B funding to drive growth
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 03, 2024
Impulse Space, a leader in in-space transportation services, has announced the completion of a $150 million Series B funding round. The round was led by Founders Fund, with participation from returning investors Lux Capital and Spring Tide, along with new participants such as DCVC.

Other contributors to the funding round include Airbus Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Balerion Space Ventures, RTX Ventures, Tamarack Global, 137 Ventures, Elysium, First Principles Group, Island Green, Overmatch, and Trousdale Ventures. This new investment brings Impulse Space's total funding to $225 million, enabling the company to expand its team and continue production of its Helios and Mira vehicles.

"The satellite market is demanding enhanced maneuverability and rapid on-orbit responsiveness, which requires Impulse Space's powerful, high delta-v vehicles," said Scott Nolan, Partner at Founders Fund. "Tom has built a team with deep expertise innovating on mission-critical technologies, positioning the company to reliably deliver while driving the future of in-space transportation."

This funding round is the latest in a series of milestones for Impulse Space. The company has secured multiple awards this year, including a Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) award from SpaceWERX and two Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) awards. Additionally, Impulse recently launched its GEO Rideshare Program and completed the record-setting LEO Express-1 mission. The team is currently preparing for the LEO Express-2 mission, which will involve the Mira vehicle in deployment and hosting services for multiple customers.

Impulse Space operates out of its 60,000-square-foot headquarters in Redondo Beach, Calif., where the majority of vehicle design, manufacturing, testing, and assembly takes place. The company also conducts additional testing work at the Mojave Air and Space Port, focusing on its Helios Deneb engine.

Impulse's vehicles, Helios and Mira, are unique for their in-house component production, which includes thrusters, valves, star trackers, and avionics. This vertical integration allows for faster innovation and greater reliability, while maintaining cost and schedule efficiency. Both vehicles feature chemical propulsion systems with nontoxic propellants, providing high delta-v capabilities for enhanced maneuverability.

Helios is designed as a high-performance kick stage, utilizing liquid oxygen and liquid methane to transport over 5 tons of payload from low Earth orbit (LEO) to geostationary orbit (GEO) in under 24 hours. Mira, on the other hand, supports payload hosting, deployment, and movement between orbits, offering up to 900 m/s of delta-v for a 100 kg payload with its nitrous oxide and ethane bipropellant system. Together, these vehicles provide critical in-space transportation solutions.

"This funding is not only a testament to our team's achievements over the past year but also a validation of our vision for the in-space transportation industry," said Tom Mueller, founder and CEO of Impulse Space. "We're proud to have so many partners who understand and support the importance of our work to accelerate humanity's future in space by unlocking reliable, affordable, and efficient access to any orbit."

The company plans to use this funding to continue growing its team of more than 140 employees and execute its roadmap, which includes the first mission with the upgraded Mira design in late 2025 and the inaugural launch of Helios in 2026.