Spacecraft delivery startup founded by former SpaceX rocket guru raises $150 million, led by Founders Fund
- by NBC Chicago
- Oct 01, 2024
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"That success really helped with this raise, as well as all the customer engagement that we're getting," Mueller said.
The company has a backlog of contracts from both commercial and government customers — ranging from standard satellite deliveries to building the propulsion system for a private space station to demonstrating the capabilities of its Helios vehicle in the distant geosynchronous orbit for the U.S. Space Force.
A wide swath of venture investors joined the company's $150 million round including: Airbus Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Balerion Space Ventures, Lux Capital, RTX Ventures, Spring Tide, Tamarack Global, 137 Ventures, DCVC, Elysium, First Principles Group, Island Green, Overmatch and Trousdale Ventures. The new round brings Impulse's total fundraising to $225 million to date, the company said.
Impulse Space
A Mira vehicle in orbit during the LEO Express-1 mission that launched November 2023, with several pairs of its Saiph thrusters visible.
Impulse's next mission, LEO Express-2, is set to launch later this year. Then it plans to launch an updated version of its Mira vehicle in late 2025, perform a demo mission with Helios by mid-2026 and debut its "GEO Rideshare" missions by 2027, according to the company.
Tapping reusable rockets, Starship or not
In Mueller's view, while SpaceX reduced the cost to launch mass to orbit, the in-space delivery systems on the market are lacking. And there's more launch capacity coming, with large reusable rockets in development by Rocket Lab, Blue Origin, Relativity and others.
"There's a lot of cost and efficiency to be gained … [with] a reliable solution for any customer who wants to move things around in space," Mueller said.
Impulse Space
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