Impulse Space

HardwareRedondo Beach, USAFounded 2021· One of 1756 Hardware companies tracked by AMPulse

A high-performance in-space mobility company providing orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs) for rapid, precise, and economical payload delivery across LEO, GEO, and deep space.

CEO / Founder: Tom Mueller
Team Size: 201-500
Stage: Growth Stage
Total Funding: $1.0B
Latest Round: Series D
Key Investors: Founders Fund, RTX Ventures, Airbus Ventures, Lux Capital, DCVC, 137 Ventures, BANNER VC, Linse Capital

Technology & Products

Key Products

Orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs) for rapid, precise, and economical payload delivery across LEO, GEO, and deep space.

Technological Advantage

Utilizes storable, non-toxic propellants (Nitrous Oxide and Ethane) combined with advanced additive manufacturing (Metal AM) to produce high-performance, low-cost propulsion systems with rapid turnaround.

Differentiation

Value Proposition

Reduces the time required for satellites to reach their final operational orbits from months to hours by using high-thrust chemical propulsion instead of slow electric propulsion, accelerating time-to-revenue for operators.

How They Differentiate

Utilizes high-thrust chemical propulsion (Nitrous Oxide and Ethane) rather than low-thrust electric propulsion, allowing for 'last-mile' orbital delivery in hours or days instead of months. The company also leverages the deep propulsion heritage of founder Tom Mueller (SpaceX Employee No. 1).

Market & Competition

Target Customers

Commercial satellite operators (e.g., SES), Department of Defense (DoD), Space Force, NASA, and telecommunications companies.

Industry Verticals

["Aerospace & Defense","Satellite Communications","Space Logistics","Deep Space Exploration"]

Competitors

D-Orbit, Momentus, Firefly Aerospace (Elytra), Atomos Space

Growth & Milestones

Growth Metrics

Team size expanded to 372 employees as of March 2026; achieved flight heritage with successful LEO Express 1, 2, and 3 missions; opened facilities in Boulder, CO and Washington, D.C.; secured over $1B in total funding.

Major Milestones

["Founded in 2021 by SpaceX founding member Tom Mueller","Successful launch and deployment of LEO Express-1 (Mira OTV) in November 2023","Announced the Helios high-energy stage for LEO-to-GEO transport in 2024","Established strategic partnership with Anduril for defense-related space mobility in 2024","Closed $150M Series B funding round in October 2024","Closed $300M Series C funding round in June 2025","Successful LEO Express 2 and 3 missions in 2025","Closed $500M Series D funding round in June 2026, bringing total capital raised to over $1B","Opened Colorado factory and D.C. office in 2026"]

Notable Customers

SES, Anduril Industries, Relativity Space, U.S. Space Force, NASA

https://www.impulsespace.com

Why this company matters

Impulse Space occupies a premium niche in the in-space mobility market by prioritizing speed over efficiency. While most orbital transfer vehicles rely on low-thrust electric propulsion that takes months to raise a satellite's orbit, Impulse uses high-thrust chemical propulsion to complete the same journey in hours or days. This approach directly addresses the time-to-revenue problem for commercial satellite operators and the responsiveness requirements of defense and government customers.

The company's core product is a family of orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs) designed for rapid, precise payload delivery across low Earth orbit, geostationary Earth orbit, and deep space. Its propulsion systems burn storable, non-toxic propellants — nitrous oxide and ethane — and leverage metal additive manufacturing to reduce cost and production lead time while maintaining high performance. The Mira OTV achieved flight heritage in November 2023, and the Helios high-energy stage, announced in 2024, targets LEO-to-GEO transport.

Impulse serves commercial satellite operators such as SES, defense primes like Anduril Industries, and government agencies including the U.S. Space Force and NASA. Its partnership with Relativity Space targets a first commercial mission to Mars, and it has flown payloads on SpaceX rideshare missions. The company closed a $150 million Series B in October 2024, bringing total funding to $204.5 million, with backing from Founders Fund, RTX Ventures, and Airbus Ventures.

The company's primary competitive risk is that its chemical propulsion approach trades fuel efficiency for speed, which may limit payload mass fraction compared to electric alternatives. However, founder Tom Mueller's two-decade propulsion track record at SpaceX — where he led development of the Merlin and Draco engines — gives Impulse deep credibility in high-thrust chemical systems. The key open question is whether the market for rapid orbital delivery will grow large enough to sustain a dedicated OTV provider alongside integrated offerings from launch vehicle builders.