Robot model
Helios
High-energy kick stage designed for direct GEO insertion from LEO.
- Manufacturer
- Impulse Space
- Form factor
- space
- Maturity
- pilot
- Lifecycle
- active
- Deployments
- 1
Overview
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).
Verified vs. claimed
- Maturity stage
- pilot(Small-scale deployment in controlled or trial conditions.)
- Verified deployments
- 1 deployment on file
- Sources on file
- 2 sources, view all
Key facts
Diameter
Payload
Propulsion
Autonomy level
Production target
Specs
Dof
Role
Payload
Runtime
Autonomy
Diameter
Height cm
Max speed
Weight kg
Propulsion
To scale
Data & sources
Web sources
2
2 sources backing this record.View all →
Autonomy: verified vs claimed
- What it actually does
- Autonomous
Pricing
No verified price is on record for Helios. Physical-AI systems are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price.
Deployments (1)
- Helios at Geostationary Orbit (GEO)announced
SES has signed a multi-launch agreement with Impulse Space for Helios transport services, with Helios positioned in geostationary orbit.
Helios on the deployment map
Where Helios is verified operating. Explore the deployment map by place and type.
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Verified media addedVerifiedJun 7, 2026
Hello, Solar System!
- Record createdJun 7, 2026
Added to the verified registry
Safety record
No incidents on record for Helios.
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Sources (2)
Common questions
- What is 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).
- How much does Helios cost?
- Helios's price is not publicly disclosed. DEPLOY has no verified price on record for Helios from Impulse Space. Physical-AI systems like this are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price; check the manufacturer for the latest.
- Is Helios actually deployed in the real world?
- Yes. Helios is independently verified in real-world operation on the DEPLOY registry, confirmed at named deployment sites with primary sources: not a concept, render, or demo-only.
- What are the specs of Helios?
- Helios's recorded specifications on the DEPLOY registry: Degrees of freedom: 28; Payload: ~4,000 kg to GEO; Runtime: 6 h; Height: 160 cm; Max speed: 2 km/h; Weight: 190 kg. See the Specs section for the full sourced set.
- Who makes Helios?
- Helios is made by Impulse Space, based in Redondo Beach, California, USA, founded in 2021.
- Where is Helios deployed?
- 1 verified deployment of Helios is on the DEPLOY registry, including at Geostationary Orbit (GEO).
- Can you buy Helios?
- Helios is in pilot deployments with named customers and is not yet broadly for sale.
- What are alternatives to Helios?
- On the DEPLOY registry, comparable space robots to Helios include Chang'e Lander, Mira, W-Series Capsule, Astrobee.
- How does Helios compare to Chang'e Lander?
- Helios and Chang'e Lander (China National Space Administration · 4 deployments) are both space robots on the DEPLOY registry. Helios has 1 verified deployment on record. Compare both records for specs, safety, deployments, and verified-vs-claimed autonomy.
- Is Helios a top space?
- On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, safety, adoption, media, and IP signals, Helios ranks in roughly the top 52% of space models tracked by the registry.
- What is Helios's maturity stage?
- Helios is at the pilot stage on the DEPLOY maturity ladder (research, prototype, pilot, commercial, production). Pilot stage means at least one named-customer trial deployment is verified.
- Is Helios safe?
- Helios 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.
- What is the HELIOS solar panel cleaning robot?
- HELIOS is an automated solar panel cleaning service using autonomous cleaning robots that are placed on solar panels using a drone. The system can clean up to 4,000 panels per day in a safe and efficient manner. Designed for utility-scale solar installations.
Methodology: Verified · 2 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-22
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-07-22
Maturity + lifecycle
Maturity stage: pilot
Lifecycle: active
Architectural position
Cohort: space
Sources by quality tier
- 2
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Helios.Recent coverage
Helios in third-party press
Impulse Space raises $500 million to build a fleet of space tugs that move satellites where rockets cannot - Startup Fortune
Unlocking 'the true space age': Impulse Space raises $500 million to build out fleet of ultra-mobile spacecraft - Space
Impulse Space expands Colorado presence - SpaceNews
Attention vs reality over time
Media mentions per month (area) against verified deployment events (dots). A press spike over a flat deployment line is the hype gap, drawn over time.
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Helios from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
Impulse Space raises $500 million to build a fleet of space tugs that move satellites where rockets cannot - Startup Fortune
<a…
Unlocking 'the true space age': Impulse Space raises $500 million to build out fleet of ultra-mobile spacecraft - Space
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Impulse Space expands Colorado presence - SpaceNews
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Impulse Space Raises $500M Series D to Build In-Space Mobility Infrastructure for the Space Economy
Impulse Space raised $500M in Series D funding co-led by 137 Ventures and BANNER VC, bringing total capital to over $1B, to build in-space mobility infrastructure for the growing…
A new private moon lander rises: Impulse Space throws its hat into the lunar ring - Space
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SpaceX Veteran Lays Out Impulse Space's Roadmap for Making Deliveries to the Moon - Universe Today
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Impulse Space details plan to deliver up to 6 tons a year to the moon - TechCrunch
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Impulse Space Plans Lunar Lander for Lunar Cargo Delivery - Via Satellite
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Anduril and Impulse Space Plan to Run RPO in Geosynchronous Orbit Next Year - Via Satellite
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US plans maneuverable defense satellite amid China space gains - Interesting Engineering
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Same-day delivery comes to space, as Impulse promises satellite transport in hours, not months - TechCrunch
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Impulse Space secures three SpaceX Falcon 9 missions - satnews.com
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Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /models/helios.md
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/models/29eaa53c-0c80-4c11-bc35-5adf73c33116
- Revision history: /models/helios/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Reality vs attention
Helios draws attention at the 51st percentile but verifies reality at the 61st percentile among space robots. Hype Gap -9.8, 19th widest among space robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Thin deployment record; scale validation still in progress.
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