CategorySpace
Funding
$500.0M
Models
6
Deployments
6
Overview
Impulse Space is a Redondo Beach, California-based in-space mobility company founded by Tom Mueller, the SpaceX founding employee who built the Falcon 9 engine. The company develops orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs) and chemical propulsion systems for satellite deployment and in-space logistics. Impulse Space raised $500M in Series D funding (co-led by 137 Ventures and BANNER VC), bringing total funding to over $1B to build in-space mobility infrastructure for the space economy.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- 6 deployments on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
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Key facts
Product
Founder/CEO
Founded
Fundingsee investors →
Board
Partners
Contracts
Patents
CEO
Total fundingsee investors →
Products
Data & sources
Web sources
1
1 source backing this record.View all →
Models (6)
View all models →Current platform
Mars Lander
Commercial robotic Mars lander under joint development with Relativity Space. Impulse provides Mars Cruise Vehicle, Entry Capsule, and Lander (including Saiph cruise thrusters and Rigel descent engine). Relativity provides Terran R launch from Cape Canaveral. Target launch: 2026 (slipped from 2024). Heritage from NASA InSight lander architecture.
Current platform
Deneb
67 kN LOX/methane staged-combustion engine for Helios kick stage. 380+ seconds specific impulse. Restart-capable for multi-burn missions. Ox-rich staged combustion cycle.
Current platform
Rigel
180 lbf (~800 N) bipropellant engine in development for Mars lander propulsive descent. Tested at Mojave Air and Space Port. Will perform powered landing on Mars for the joint Impulse/Relativity mission.
Current platform
Saiph
22 N bipropellant thruster using nitrous oxide and ethane. Qualified May 2023. Storable, non-toxic, spark-ignited. Flight heritage on Mira OTV flights (LEO Express-1 and 2) and Haven Demo (Vast). Selected for Vast Haven-1 space station propulsion (RCS + deorbit).
Current platform
Helios
High-energy kick stage designed for direct GEO insertion from LEO. 3.5 m diameter. Primary engine: Deneb (67 kN LOX/methane, ox-rich staged combustion, 380+ s Isp). Payload capacity ~4,000 kg. First flight targeted 2026 (Falcon 9, with two Mira vehicles). First commercial customer: SES (multi-launch agreement, first mission 2027).
Current platform
Mira
Orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) for last-mile payload delivery in LEO and beyond. ~300 kg. Uses eight Saiph thrusters (22 N each, N2O/ethane). First flight November 2023 (Transporter-9, LEO Express-1); second flight January 2025 (Transporter-12, LEO Express-2). Autonomous plane changes, LTAN changes, payload deployment, and proximity operations.
Impulse Space on the deployment map
Where Impulse Space's robots are verified operating. Explore the deployment map by place and type.
Relationships
Current leadership (1)
- Tom Mueller Founder and CEOsecondary-verified
Founders (1)
- Tom Muellerfounded 2026-06-01
Board (1)
- John W. Raymond director
Safety record
No incidents on record for Impulse Space.
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Operated deployments (6)
Operator customers (1)
- Impulse Space6 deployments
Recent coverage
Impulse Space in third-party press
Peer companies
- Astrobotic Technology3 models
- China National Space Administration3 models
- Astroscale2 models
- China Manned Space Agency2 models
- GITAI2 models
- Lunar Outpost2 models
Financial state
- Reporting basis
- private_reported
- Lifecycle stage
- growth
- Counterparty risk class
- low
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Partnerships (1)
- Impulse Space x SpaceX with SpaceXdeployment
Funding rounds (4)
- Series D2026-06-02
$500M(reported)
Investors: 137 Ventures (co_lead), BANNER VC (co_lead), Founders Fund, Lux Capital, Linse Capital
- Series A2023-07-24
$45M
Investors: RTX Ventures (lead), Founders Fund, Lux Capital, Airbus Ventures, Space Capital
- Seed Extension2022-06-16
$10M(reported)
Investors: Lux Capital (lead)
- Seed2022-03-01
$20M(reported)
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Verified media addedVerifiedJun 11, 2026
Impulse Space | Accelerating Our Future Beyond Earth
- Verified media addedVerifiedJun 11, 2026
Mira | Built for In-Space Mobility
- Verified media addedVerifiedJun 7, 2026
Hello, Solar System!
- Verified media addedVerifiedJun 7, 2026
Hello, Solar System!
- Verified media addedVerifiedJun 7, 2026
Hello, Solar System!
Sources (1)
Common questions
- What is Impulse Space?
- Impulse Space is a Redondo Beach, California-based in-space mobility company founded by Tom Mueller, the SpaceX founding employee who built the Falcon 9 engine. The company develops orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs) and chemical propulsion systems for satellite deployment and in-space logistics. Impulse Space raised $500M in Series D funding (co-led by 137 Ventures and BANNER VC), bringing total funding to over $1B to build in-space mobility infrastructure for the space economy.
- What does Impulse Space make?
- Impulse Space has 6 robot models on the DEPLOY registry: Mars Lander, Deneb, Rigel and 3 others (Impulse Space builds physical robots).
- Is Impulse Space publicly traded?
- Impulse Space is not an independent public company; it has been acquired, per the DEPLOY registry.
- Who competes with Impulse Space?
- On the DEPLOY registry, peer companies to Impulse Space building in the same form factors include Astrobotic Technology, China National Space Administration, Astroscale, China Manned Space Agency.
- Who is the CEO of Impulse Space?
- Tom Mueller is the ceo of Impulse Space, per the DEPLOY registry.
- How can I invest in Impulse Space?
- Impulse Space has no separately traded stock; it has been acquired.
- Where is Impulse Space headquartered?
- Impulse Space is headquartered in Redondo Beach, California, USA.
- How much funding has Impulse Space raised?
- Impulse Space has raised approximately $500M in disclosed funding on record in the DEPLOY registry.
- Who owns Impulse Space?
- Impulse Space has been acquired and is no longer independently owned.
- Where does Impulse Space operate robots?
- Impulse Space operates 6 verified deployments, including at Geostationary Orbit (GEO), Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station), Mars.
- Is Impulse Space a top robotics company?
- On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, funding, hiring, media, safety, and IP signals, Impulse Space ranks in roughly the top 5% of companies tracked by the registry.
- When was Impulse Space founded?
- Impulse Space was founded in 2021.
- Is Impulse Space safe?
- Impulse Space has no incidents on record in the DEPLOY registry. This does not constitute a safety guarantee; it reflects the incidents DEPLOY has tracked and verified to date.
Methodology: Verified · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-06
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-07-06
Sources by quality tier
- 1
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Impulse Space.Peer companies
- Astrobotic Technology3 models
- China National Space Administration3 models
- Astroscale2 models
- China Manned Space Agency2 models
- GITAI2 models
- Lunar Outpost2 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Impulse Space from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/impulse-space.md
- RSS feed: /companies/impulse-space/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/90becab7-664d-4140-8b1e-2703d1be7e91
- Revision history: /companies/impulse-space/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- Astrobotic Technology3 models
- China National Space Administration3 models
- Astroscale2 models
- China Manned Space Agency2 models
- GITAI2 models
- Lunar Outpost2 models
Reality vs attention
Impulse Space draws attention at the 10th percentile but verifies reality at the 97th percentile among space robots. Hype Gap -87, 19th widest among space robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Clean safety record across 6 verified deployments. Well-capitalized with $575M raised and recent funding activity. Limited public visibility and press coverage relative to peers.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Jul 22, 2026