Impulse Space Inc. closed a $500 million Series D round led by 137 Ventures and BANNER VC, bringing total outside funding past $1 billion.
The Redondo Beach-based startup aims to slash the cost and time of moving satellites between orbits. Its flagship vehicle, Helios, promises to transfer payloads from low-Earth orbit to geostationary altitude-22,200 miles-in under a day, versus the six to nine months required by current electric propulsion systems.
Helios is powered by the Deneb engine, a liquid oxygen and methane motor developed by CEO Tom Mueller, former SpaceX propulsion chief. The company also operates the Mira mobility vehicle, used to increase satellite maneuverability for missions like tracking fast-moving weather phenomena.
Last year, Impulse Space announced plans for a lunar lander capable of hauling three tons of cargo. The strategy: launch the lander to LEO aboard an inexpensive rocket, then use Helios to push it toward the Moon, with transit time estimated at about a week.
The Series D funds will support hiring and manufacturing expansion. Impulse Space has already secured hundreds of millions of dollars in customer contracts and targets the first Helios launch next year, with lunar flights by 2028.