Impulse Space: Pioneering Space Infrastructure
Providing logistical services from Low Earth Orbit to Mars
Alumni Ventures portfolio company Impulse Space is pioneering the next chapter in space logistics.
Companies like SpaceX have fundamentally reshaped the space exploration landscape, reducing costs for both commercial and government organizations to dispatch objects into orbit. Successfully launching a satellite into space no longer requires multi-billion dollar investments in rockets and their related systems. Instead, the process is as straightforward as booking a several-million-dollar rideshare.
Alumni Ventures portfolio company Impulse Space is pioneering the next chapter in space logistics. Created by SpaceX founding employee Tom Mueller, Impulse Space will offer last-mile delivery, orbital maneuvering, and support services for all classes of payloads, with a near-term focus on low Earth orbit (LEO) and sights set on distant destinations such as Geostationary Equatorial Orbit (GEO), the Moon, and Mars.
A New Generation of Space Infrastructure
One of the key factors spurring growth in commercial space exploration is the ability of companies such as SpaceX to drive down the cost of reaching space for both cargo and human beings. In the previous era of space exploration, safely reaching orbit was an unprecedented effort requiring intense collaboration between aeronautical contracts and the federal government.
But with the advent of privatized space flight, reaching LEO and beyond has become vastly more affordable and reliable. The next logical phase of this new reality is building out the infrastructure capable of supporting both crewed and uncrewed vehicles to efficiently route them to their destinations.
It is this generation of infrastructure that Impulse Space is developing. The company has developed a revolutionary space logistics model which mirrors delivery providers like FedEx. This will allow both private and public entities to easily deploy payloads to LEO and, eventually, destinations beyond. Mueller was integral in developing the propulsion systems in SpaceX’s flagship vehicles and is now bringing his expertise to this vital new industry.
What We Liked About Impulse Space
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Rapid Traction
Despite being founded in 2021, Impulse Space has already secured major contracts with both government and private customers, including propulsion systems for the first private space station. - Home
All-Star Leadership
Impulse is led by a world-class team of space industry experts, including the company’s Founder and CEO Tom Mueller. Tom was founding employee #1 at SpaceX, handpicked by Elon Musk. - Home
Bullseye investors with high conviction
Impulse has raised $30M to date from established venture firms in the space industry, including Founders Fund and Lux Capital.
How We Are Involved
Lakeshore Ventures (for the University of Chicago community) sponsored Alumni Ventures’ investment in Impulse’s $45 million Series A led by RTX Ventures (Raytheon). Additional AV funds also participated in the deal:
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Contact [email protected] for additional information. To see additional risk factors and investment considerations, visit av-funds.com/disclosures.