Washington – Impulse Space has raised $ 300 million in a “preemptive” financing tour to allow the transport company in the space to develop and develop electric propulsion technologies.
Impulse Space announced on June 3, he closed a 300 million dollars series C led by a new investor, Linse Capital. Another new investor, DFJ Growth, has also participated in the round as well as many return investors.
“Impulse addresses one of the most demanding technical challenges in aerospace with a speed and precision that we rarely see,” said Bastiaan Janmaat, director of director at Linse Capital, in a press release concerning their decision to invest in Impulse. “Their vertically integrated approach, their experienced experience and their ability to perform quickly on this market give them a real advantage.”
The new round, called “pre -emptive increase” by impulse in a press release, comes less than a year after The company has raised $ 150 million in a B series. This funding was intended to support the company through the first flight of its high performance transfer vehicle Helios, scheduled for 2026.
“It was not our plan to go out and raise anything this half of the year,” said Eric Romo, president and chief of the impulse space, in an interview. However, the company was approached by Linse Capital on investment.
“We have managed the relatively conservative company,” he said, seeking to extend the financing of the B series. “We looked, if we had more money at the bank, what will we do that we do today?”
Impulse plans to use the financing of several initiatives. One is to increase the production of its Mira and Helios vehicles to better meet demand for them. The company claims to have more than 30 contracts signed for these vehicles, a backlog worth almost $ 200 million.
Romo said that the company saw an increasing request from Mira, the smallest of the two vehicles, for defense requests. Which includes an agreement with Andundil announced last October Where this company will provide its software to Mira tugs to carry out “very manageable space missions”.
“The story of the spatial force around space defense and space control has become much stronger and more public in recent months, which is linked to a large part of the demand we see Mira,” he said.
On the commercial market, Impulse Space announced an agreement with the satellite operator SES on May 22 To transport a satellite SES de LEO to Geo using Helios in 2027, with additional missions of missions.
“We were delighted to ensure that this case on the finish line,” said Romo. “For a long time, they have adopted new technologies”, such as the management of the first Geo Commercial satellite on a Falcon 9 and later being the customer of the first Falcon 9 reused.
Impulse also follows the potential new NASA opportunities. This includes roles in commercial transport services to the Moon and Mars which is one of the new areas of intervention in Budget proposal for NASA 2026 financial year Released last month.
He said that, while Impulse planned to develop the production of Mira and Helios, he did not set an objective for the number of vehicles per year, he plans to produce. This expansion will involve the current company’s installations in southern California as well as the growth of its current small presence in Boulder, Colorado.
The funds will allow the company to hire more people. Romo said the company now has around 225 to 250 employees but actively hires. “If we are at 350 at that time next year, I think we will consider it a success.”
Impulse also plans to invest in research and development, such as work on electric propulsion systems. “We are trying to extend the places where we can help commercial, NASA and defense customers,” he said. “While we have examined these various mission sets, there are places where, you know, long -term, extremely high delta V missions made sense.”
Impulse is only starting to start work on electric propulsion, and Romo said that the company had not selected a particular technical approach other than that which is “closer to proven technologies”. “I do not think that you will see us do anything that looks like a scientific project. I think you will see us do things that are, you know, traditional engineering proven, but then try to do it in an extremely reliable, robust and inexpensive way.”