A spacecraft delivery startup founded by a former SpaceX rocket guru raises $150 million, with Founders Fund leading the investment.

• Impulse, a Los Angeles-based space startup led by rocket specialist Tom Mueller, secured $150 million in a new funding round led by Founders Fund.
• Mira and Helios are the two space tugs that Impulse is currently building as part of its orbital transfer vehicle product line.
• In the past year, the company launched its maiden mission, featuring a Mira vehicle deploying a small satellite in what Mueller deemed "the most successful orbital transfer vehicle debut in history."

Founders Fund has led a $150 million fundraising round for Impulse, a Los Angeles-based space startup led by rocket specialist Tom Mueller.

Space tugs are being scaled by Impulse, with two models currently being built, the smaller Mira and the larger Helios.

Space tugs, like taxis, deliver satellites and payloads to specific destinations, while rockets, like airplanes, get them into orbit.

Impulse Space's future is secured with the funds raised by Mueller, the former SpaceX employee who founded the company three years ago and currently serves as its CEO.

"We have sufficient funding for the development of Helios and Mira, as well as for the first flights of both products," Mueller stated.

In November, Impulse launched its first mission, LEO Express-1, with a Mira vehicle deploying a small satellite. The mission was declared a success in July after additional demonstrations, with Mueller stating it was likely the most successful orbital transfer vehicle debut in history.

Mueller stated that the success helped with the raise, in addition to the customer engagement that they were receiving.

The company's backlog includes contracts from both commercial and government clients, ranging from standard satellite deliveries to constructing the propulsion system for a private space station and showcasing the capabilities of its Helios vehicle in distant geosynchronous orbit for the U.S. Space Force.

The company's $150 million round was joined by a multitude of venture investors, 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. This new round has increased Impulse's total fundraising to $225 million to date, the company announced.

LEO Express-2, the next mission of Impulse, is scheduled to launch later this year. The company plans to launch an updated version of its Mira vehicle in late 2025, followed by a demo mission with Helios in mid-2026. Finally, Impulse will debut its "GEO Rideshare" missions by 2027.

Tapping reusable rockets, Starship or not

According to Mueller, although SpaceX has decreased the cost of launching mass to orbit, the current in-space delivery systems are inadequate. Furthermore, there is an increase in launch capacity with the development of large reusable rockets by Blue Origin, Relativity, and other companies.

A reliable solution for moving things around in space can provide significant cost and efficiency benefits, according to Mueller.

Mueller stated that although he claimed Impulse was founded on his belief that Starship could be commercially successful, he now realizes that SpaceX may not fly commercially for another five years and there is limited information on the arrangements.

SpaceX is continuously working on its massive Starship rocket system, with increasingly daring test flights by prototypes. The rocket is vital to the company's future, whether it's launching its own Starlink satellites or undertaking high-profile moon missions for NASA.

For now, we'll be flying on Falcon 9 and medium launch vehicles, Mueller stated.

Impulse, headquartered in Redondo Beach, California, currently has approximately 140 employees and plans to expand to over 200 employees next year as it scales up production of Mira and Helios. The company carries out most of its design, manufacturing, assembly, and even engine test firing at its 60,000-square-foot facility.

The Impulse facility enables the company to produce at least 10 Mira spacecraft annually without expansion.

"With the fundraising behind us, we're feeling good and ready to make progress," Mueller stated.