Impulse Space, a company founded by a SpaceX veteran, has announced two new services to aid the deployment of satellites to Geostationary Orbit (GEO).
The company announced a rideshare program for small satellites, starting in 2027, leveraging its Helios kick stage. This program will deploy small satellites to GEO at a significantly lower cost compared to current options. The first GEO rideshare mission is slated for 2027 on a dedicated launch vehicle, with payload ports starting at 300 kg. Exolaunch will partner with Impulse Space, managing rideshare availability and satellite deployment solutions.
Impulse Space also revealed an updated version of its Mira orbital transfer vehicle. This upgrade enables Mira to operate in GEO, making it a viable option for customers wanting to focus on their payloads and have them hosted on a spacecraft. Mira can be integrated as a GEO rideshare passenger on Helios and then deliver customers to a specific location or host them on orbit.
The initial Mira vehicle was launched on a SpaceX rideshare mission in November 2023. The updated version incorporates radiation hardening, improved avionics, and a more robust power supply. It will now become the standard model.
"As access to GEO continues opening up, we’re seeing demand shift from static to dynamic operations for assets in these high-energy orbits," said Tom Mueller, CEO and founder of Impulse Space. "Mira has demonstrated success with rapid, responsive repositioning thanks to its powerful engines, and we’re confident our updated design will meet the evolving GEO needs of our customers in commercial, scientific, and defense sectors."