Impulse Space Awarded $28M for Future Space Force SDA Mission
Mission to feature a Mira spacecraft performing space domain awareness activities in Low Earth Orbit
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REDONDO BEACH, Calif., Sept. 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Impulse Space, the leader for in-space mobility, has been awarded a $28M contract by the United States Space Force (USSF) for a future Space Force space domain awareness (SDA) mission. For the mission, a government-provided launch will place a Mira spacecraft into Low Earth Orbit (LEO), where it will perform SDA activities. The contract will be funded in part by a $19.75M Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT) program award that Impulse received for FY26, sponsored by the U.S. Space Command.
The Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research & Engineering, OUSW(R&E) APFIT program reduces the procurement timeline for innovative technologies by accelerating their production to operational scale. This APFIT award supports the procurement of a Mira vehicle, which is Impulse’s highly-maneuverable spacecraft, delivering up to 850 m/s of delta-v for a 100 kg payload via its powerful chemical propulsion system. As part of this mission, Mira will host a government-furnished optical payload built by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory to support SDA for objects located in geostationary orbit (GEO).
“Mira has proven its capability and reliability as a hosting platform through multiple commercial missions in LEO, providing a dependable foundation for a wide range of operational needs,” said Eric Romo, Impulse Space President and COO. “Mira’s demonstrated ability to perform both long-duration and rapid engine burns have underscored the mission flexibility that maneuverability creates. We look forward to supporting the Space Force with these proven capabilities.”
This is the latest in a series of government awards for Impulse, which include an NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 contract for the Helios upper stage and a SBIR Phase III contract extension to support the USSF Space Safari’s VICTUS SALO 2 and VICTUS SALO 3 missions.
This future SDA mission is currently slated to launch no earlier than 2029.
About Impulse Space
Impulse Space, the in-space mobility leader, is accelerating our future beyond Earth beginning with its fleet of cost-effective, high-performance space vehicles: Helios and Mira. The Helios kick stage unlocks high-energy orbits with its powerful Deneb engine, rapidly transporting payloads from LEO to MEO, GEO, heliocentric, lunar, and other planetary orbits. The flight-proven Mira enables precise maneuverability and rapid responsiveness for hosting, deployment, and rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) across any orbit. Founded by Tom Mueller and led by a team of industry titans, Impulse Space is transforming in-space mobility by reliably and rapidly getting customers where they want to go. And they’re just getting started. For more information, visit www.impulsespace.com.
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