Impulse Space, a startup founded by former SpaceX engineer Tom Mueller, has raised $500 million in a Series D funding round led by 137 Ventures and BANNER VC. The investment will be used to hire up to 200 new employees, highlighting investor interest in space and defense technology as the US government pours money into national security projects.
Impulse is focused on developing highly-maneuverable spacecraft, with its Mira platform targeting US Space Force buyers. The company is also building Helios, a vehicle designed to quickly transport satellites to high orbits. President and COO Eric Romo said the new funding will enable Impulse to build and test more space vehicles.
Romo, who joined SpaceX as employee 13 in 2003, emphasized that while AI coding tools are being adopted by Impulse's software teams, deep learning models have limitations when it comes to solving real-world engineering problems. He noted that building and testing hardware is still essential for achieving accurate results.
Impulse has a second launch of its Mira spacecraft planned before the end of the year, following an incident in which navigation system issues led to excessive propellant use on its third flight late last year. The company opened an office in Colorado to tap into the growing aerospace talent pool in the region.
