WASHINGTON — Impulse Space, a startup specializing in in-space transportation services, has secured a $34.5 million contract to support two U.S. military space missions set for 2026, the Defense Department announced Oct. 3.
The deal, awarded under a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 3 agreement, is funded by the U.S. Space Force and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU).
Under the contract, Impulse Space will deploy two orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs) that will carry space surveillance payloads for missions intended to enhance U.S. military capabilities in space domain awareness. One mission will be launched to low Earth orbit (LEO) while the other will go to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO). These efforts are part of the U.S. Space Force’s Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) program, which is designed to leverage commercial technologies for the rapid deployment of satellites and other assets in response to national security needs.
The announcement comes shortly after Impulse Space announced it raised $150 million in Series B funding. The company, founded in 2021 by former SpaceX rocket propulsion engineer Tom Mueller, counts RTX Ventures, the venture capital arm of Raytheon Technologies, among its investors.
Impulse Space’s core business revolves around the development of orbital transfer vehicles, which are used to move satellites and other payloads to specific orbits after they have been launched. The company developed Mira, a small OTV designed for last-mile satellite deliveries from LEO to their final orbital destinations, and is also working on Helios, a larger, high-energy kick stage designed to move payloads from LEO to GEO in under 24 hours.
As part of the TacRS program, Impulse Space will support two missions: Victus Surgo and Victus Salo. For Victus Surgo, the Mira vehicle will carry a commercial optical payload that will operate in geosynchronous transfer orbit after being launched from LEO by the Helios kick stage. DIU, a co-sponsor, will have a rideshare slot on the Helios.
For the second mission, Victus Salo, a Mira vehicle will carry a government-provided payload designed by MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory that will operate in low Earth orbit.
Victus Surgo’s Mira vehicle would fly on Impulse’s inaugural launch of the Helios vehicle. Impulse’s recently announced Series B funding is intended to support the first Helios demo launch.
Victus Salo will launch on a future SpaceX Transporter rideshare mission.
Once deployed, the Mira vehicles will be capable of maneuvering in space, allowing for rapid relocation and adjustment based on mission needs.
“These missions will give us the ability to dynamically respond to changing conditions in space, providing enhanced space surveillance and defense capabilities,” said Col. Bryon McClain, program executive officer for space domain awareness at the Space Systems Command.
“The commercial space industry is delivering products we need to provide highly capable options for future TacRS operations,” noted Lt. Col. Kahoa Miller, materiel leader for the Space Systems Command’s Space Safari office overseeing the TacRS program.
The TacRS contract follows a recent $60 million Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) agreement awarded to Impulse Space aimed at advancing Helios’ development. This public-private deal includes approximately $30 million in government funding matched by private investment.