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Impulse Space

In-space propulsion and payload mobility

Overview

Impulse Space builds in-space mobility services and propulsion to move payloads after launch. Its products include Mira for precise maneuvering and rendezvous, Helios high-energy kick stage, Caravan rideshare to higher-energy orbits, and propulsion lines Saiph, Deneb, and Rigel. These tools act as in-space tugs and stages to push, dock, and deploy payloads in orbit. Led by SpaceX veteran Tom Mueller, Impulse Space uses flight-proven hardware and a growing network of facilities to make reaching higher-energy orbits faster and cheaper, expanding access for customers.

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About Impulse Space

Simplify's Rating
Why Impulse Space is rated
B-
Rated B on Competitive Edge
Rated B on Growth Potential
Rated C on Differentiation

Industries

Robotics & AutomationAerospace

Company Size

501-1,000

Company Stage

Series D

Total Funding

$1.4B

Headquarters

Redondo Beach, CA

Founded

2021

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What believers are saying

  • July 2026 NSSL Lane 1 made Impulse the first upper-stage prime.
  • September 2026 backlog growth triggered a $308 million extension and a $5.4 billion valuation.
  • November 2026 NASA Moon Base task orders open cislunar cargo and lunar surface demand.

What critics are saying

  • Helios still needs its first flight in 2027; any slip breaks NSSL credibility.
  • Relativity Terran R and Impulse lander both remain unproven for 2028 Moon Base missions.
  • $808 million Series D demands rapid revenue conversion; backlog delays will force dilution.

What makes Impulse Space unique

  • Tom Mueller founded Impulse in 2021 after SpaceX propulsion leadership experience.
  • Mira, Helios, and Caravan span RPO, kick stages, and rideshare logistics.
  • September 2026 NASA Moon Base awards validate Impulse’s multi-vehicle in-space transportation stack.

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Funding

Total Funding

$1.4B

Above

Industry Average

Funded Over

8 Rounds

Notable Investors:
Series D funding is typically for companies that are already well-established but need more funding to continue their growth. This round is often used to stabilize the company or prepare for an IPO.
Series D Funding Comparison
Above Average

Industry standards

$77M
$70M
$80M
$100M
$308M

Benefits

  • Hybrid Work Options

Growth & Insights and Company News

6 month growth

4%

1 year growth

1%

2 year growth

2%
PR Newswire
Nov 7th, 2026
Impulse Space awarded two task orders for NASA's Moon Base.

Impulse Space awarded two task orders for NASA's Moon Base. Nov 07, 2026, 18:01 ET NASA will use Impulse's in-space mobility capabilities to build transportation infrastructure supporting humanity's first outpost on the Moon REDONDO BEACH, Calif., Nov. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - Impulse Space, the in-space mobility company, announced today it has been awarded two task orders for NASA's Moon Base program. The awards collectively provide access to Impulse's entire product fleet, including the kick-stage Helios, the highly throttleable lander for cislunar space and surface cargo deliveries, and the performance maneuvering spacecraft Mira for enhanced mission flexibility. With missions scheduled to begin in 2028, these task orders were among the first awarded to support the Moon Base program. NASA's Moon Base program, designed to develop humanity's first permanent lunar outpost, will build the infrastructure necessary to support an enduring human presence on the Moon. Through a series of crewed and uncrewed missions, NASA's Moon Base will host astronauts who will live, work, and explore near the Moon's South Pole. NASA's Moon Base will strengthen American leadership in space, set the stage for future deep space missions, unlock scientific discovery, and drive innovation across the industry. These awards recognize the essential role that in-space transportation will play in enabling the Moon Base mission. The road to a permanent lunar presence begins with reliable, flexible, and cost-efficient access to deep space. The selections are firm-fixed-price task orders under NASA's VADR (Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare) launch services contract within the agency's Commercial Access to Space Program. The task orders build on orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) studies that Impulse previously provided under the VADR contract. For the first task order, Impulse will serve as the prime contractor, collaborating with SpaceX for their Falcon 9 rocket to launch a NASA payload, with the option for Mira vehicles to deliver alternative payloads to cislunar space. For the second task order, Impulse will serve as the prime contractor for a launch on Relativity's Terran R launch vehicle. Relativity's Terran R is a next generation rocket designed for high cadence launch operations. On this mission, Impulse and Relativity bring complementary capabilities: Terran R will carry Impulse's vehicles to orbit, and Impulse will take NASA's payloads the rest of the way. The launch payloads will include Impulse's Helios and lander vehicles. Helios will serve as a kick stage, and the lander will deploy NASA payloads in their target cislunar orbits. After executing these missions, the lander will perform a descent profile, testing out upsized cargo delivery to the lunar surface. Impulse's fleet of spacecraft are purpose-built for transportation in space, after launch. If launch rockets are like cargo ships, built for the high-energy journey from ground to orbit, Impulse's spacecraft represent the cargo planes, long-haul trucks, and last mile delivery vans that move payloads in space to their final destinations. This layered transportation capability supports sustained lunar operations, while also maximizing mission optionality, schedule assurance, and long-term value for the next era of space exploration. "After more than 30 years in rocketry, I am ecstatic to be sending hardware to the Moon for the first time," said Tom Mueller, founder and CEO of Impulse Space. "NASA's Moon Base is exactly the type of sustained in-space logistics challenge that Impulse was founded to solve, and this award is one of the most important achievements of my career." More information on the Moon Base program and Impulse's task order awards will be released over the coming weeks. About Impulse Space Impulse Space, the in-space mobility leader, is accelerating our future beyond Earth with its fleet of cost-effective, high-performance space vehicles. Founded by Tom Mueller and led by a team of industry titans, Impulse Space is transforming in-space mobility by reliably and rapidly getting customers where they want to go after launch. For more information, visit www.impulsespace.com. SOURCE Impulse Space, Inc.

Seoul Economic Daily
Oct 22nd, 2026
Hanwha Asset Management joins fourth straight Impulse Space round via Korean project fund

Hanwha Asset Management has made a follow-on investment in US space company Impulse Space through a project fund formed with four Korean institutional investors. It joined the company's Series D1 round, its fourth consecutive round since Series B. Hanwha is the only Asian investor to have backed Impulse Space since Series B. In June, the company raised about $500 million, lifting its cumulative funding past $1 billion. Founders Fund, led by Peter Thiel, is also a major shareholder. Tom Mueller, a founding member of SpaceX, founded Impulse Space in 2021. It builds orbital transfer vehicles that move satellites and cargo to their target orbits, and is working with defence contractor Anduril on the Golden Dome missile defence programme. Hanwha said the deal will widen co-investment opportunities for Korean institutions in overseas deep tech companies.

Channel NewsAsia
Sep 16th, 2026
Impulse Space's Series D round grows to $808 million as backlog expands.

Impulse Space's Series D round grows to $808 million as backlog expands. 16 Sep 2026 11:07PM (Updated: 17 Sep 2026 12:48AM) Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. (Corrects valuation in bullet 1 and paragraph 2) By Akash Sriram Sept 16: Impulse Space has raised $308 million in an extension of the Series D funding round, the startup building spacecraft to move satellites and other payloads said on Wednesday, as it looks to serve a backlog from commercial and government customers. The extension valued the company at $5.4 billion, according to a source close to the company. SpaceX's $86 billion IPO in June has bolstered investor enthusiasm for the space sector, helping improve the fundraising environment for companies such as Impulse. The extension brings Impulse's Series D financing to $808 million, following a $500 million round announced in June that valued the company at $4.26 billion. The company also hired Vizio executive Adam Townsend as chief financial officer, as it scales production and works to turn a growing backlog of government and commercial contracts into revenue. Investor demand for the round remained strong after it closed, President and Chief Operating Officer Eric Romo exclusively told Reuters, allowing Impulse to raise more capital to expand ahead of customer demand. Impulse, founded by SpaceX's first employee and its former propulsion chief, Tom Mueller, will use the new capital chiefly to accelerate hiring and manufacturing. It now has more than 600 employees and over 180 open roles. "We looked at the plan and said, well, gosh, if we raise a little bit more, it'll give us confidence that even if a pessimistic scenario happens in the future, we can hire and be a little bit ahead of the plans from customers," Romo said. Impulse has sold out its Caravan 2 and Caravan 3 Helios rideshare missions planned for 2028 and has booked additional dedicated flights, Romo said. "The market, I think, has surprised us, if anything, to the upside as far as the reception of that product," he said. "We're really full on our manifest for Helios. So now we need to deliver on that for those customers."

Yahoo Finance
Sep 16th, 2026
Impulse Space's Series D round grows to $808 million as backlog expands.

Impulse Space's Series D round grows to $808 million as backlog expands. By Akash Sriram Sept 16 (Reuters) - Impulse Space has raised $308 million in an extension of the Series D funding round, the startup building spacecraft to move satellites and other payloads said on Wednesday, as it looks to serve a backlog from commercial and government customers. The extension valued the company at $5.6 billion, according to a source close to the company. SpaceX's $86 billion IPO in June has bolstered investor enthusiasm for the space sector, helping improve the fundraising environment for companies such as Impulse. The extension brings Impulse's Series D financing to $808 million, following a $500 million round announced in June that valued the company at $4.26 billion. The company also hired Vizio executive Adam Townsend as chief financial officer, as it scales production and works to turn a growing backlog of government and commercial contracts into revenue. Investor demand for the round remained strong after it closed, President and Chief Operating Officer Eric Romo exclusively told Reuters, allowing Impulse to raise more capital to expand ahead of customer demand. Impulse, founded by SpaceX's first employee and its former propulsion chief, Tom Mueller, will use the new capital chiefly to accelerate hiring and manufacturing. It now has more than 600 employees and over 180 open roles. "We looked at the plan and said, well, gosh, if we raise a little bit more, it'll give us confidence that even if a pessimistic scenario happens in the future, we can hire and be a little bit ahead of the plans from customers," Romo said. Impulse has sold out its Caravan 2 and Caravan 3 Helios rideshare missions planned for 2028 and has booked additional dedicated flights, Romo said. "The market, I think, has surprised us, if anything, to the upside as far as the reception of that product," he said. "We're really full on our manifest for Helios. So now we need to deliver on that for those customers." (Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)

StreetInsider
Sep 16th, 2026
Impulse Space raises $308M Series D extension for in-space mobility vehicles

Impulse Space has raised $308 million in a Series D extension, bringing the total round to $808 million. The California-based in-space mobility company received backing from existing investors including 137 Ventures, Lux Capital, and Valor Equity Partners. The funding will support product development and team expansion as Impulse builds vehicles for post-launch mobility across commercial, civil, and government sectors. The company has more than doubled its headcount over the past year. Impulse recently secured significant government contracts, including selection for the US Space Force's NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 programme and a $28 million contract extension from Space Systems Command. The company manufactures spacecraft including Mira for precision manoeuvring and Helios, a high-energy kick stage. Impulse has appointed Adam Townsend, formerly CFO of VIZIO, as its first chief financial officer.

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