Impulse Space lands Space Force contract for “tactically responsive” orbital operations

Fresh off a major funding round, Impulse Space has been awarded a $34.5 million contract from the Space Force for two hypermobile spacecraft missions. The two missions, under the Space Force's Tactical Response Space (TacRS) program, will demonstrate how highly maneuverable spacecraft can help the military rapidly respond to threats in space. 

The first mission, called Victus Surgo, will transport one of Impulse's Mira spacecraft into very high orbit using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and an Impulse Space Helios booster stage, marking the first time Helios will be operated in orbit. The second mission, called Victus-Salo, will launch a second Mira spacecraft into low Earth orbit as part of a ride-share mission on a SpaceX transporter. 

Both spacecraft will integrate a Modular Payload Interface to reduce the time required to integrate payloads onto the spacecraft. Once in orbit, Helios will "be able to rapidly conduct reconnaissance activities in the space domain," the Space Force said in a statement, referring to a wide range of operations including orbital surveillance and reconnaissance. It's unclear when exactly those missions are planned, but Impulse previously reported that Helios' first flight is planned for 2026. If the mission is part of other contractual missions in the TacRS program, it will have to go through a series of phases, including a "hot stand-up" phase, where the startup must essentially be ready to respond to instructions from the Space Force to prepare the satellite for launch. 

The TACRS program is a wide range of efforts to develop a super -unnecessary launch business from the individual industry and the development of spacecraft. The first mission signed a contract under a program called Victus Nox. For the integration and release of satellites, the Millennium Space System and the Firefly Aerospace were broken. The rocket delivered its payload to orbit just 27 hours after receiving the go-ahead from the Space Force.

Impulse Space is perfectly suited for such missions. Founded by former SpaceX propulsion CTO Tom Mueller, the startup is developing a series of orbital vehicles capable of sending rocket-launched satellites into orbit. These spacecraft use chemical propulsion systems that provide a large amount of high delta-v, or velocity variation. The Vikas Surgo and Victas Salo missions are funded by Space Force's Space Systems Command in partnership with the Department of Defense Defense Innovation Agency.