Impulse Space orbital service vehicle Mira. Photo: Impulse Space

Impulse Space, an in-space transportation company founded by SpaceX founding member Tom Mueller, recently announced its first orbital mission, LEO Express-1, is booked for a slot on SpaceX’s Transporter-9 rideshare mission set for the fourth quarter of this year. 

LEO Express-1 will test the company’s orbital service vehicle, named Mira. The vehicle will uses high-thrust chemical propulsion and is designed to provide last-mile orbital payload delivery, payload hosting, very low altitude maneuvers, and controlled atmospheric re-entry.

The mission has an undisclosed primary payload, but Impulse Space said there is room for additional secondary payload customers. 

“Our team is thrilled to announce LEO Express-1 as our first mission and the implications it brings to affordable space access,” says Impulse Space Founder and CEO Tom Mueller. “Currently, smallsat operators with custom orbit requirements need to pay a premium or compromise their spacecraft designs to include additional on-board propulsion capability. Impulse’s LEO Express missions will provide the industry with a reliable, rapid and consistent service for precisely delivering payloads to custom orbits in Low-Earth Orbit.”

The company has raised $30 million after a seed funding round and investment from Lux Capital in 2022.