Impulse Space on Tuesday unveiled an ambitious plan to use its technology to send massive cargo to the moon as early as 2028, aiming to fill a gap in today’s medium-duty ground delivery market.
The company says its new lunar module, combined with its Helios high-energy kick stage, will move large amounts of material to the surface without refueling in orbit. The goal is to deliver up to six tons of payloads to the moon “at a cost-effective price” over two missions.
The startup, founded by former SpaceX propulsion chief Tom Mueller, claims this capability will fill a “critical gap” in lunar payload logistics for cargo that is too large to fit on the landers that are part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Lander Services program, or too small for future manned landers being developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin.
According to Impulse, payloads at this level range from approximately 0.5 to 13 tons, and could include rovers, habitat modules, power generators, communication systems, and even a lunar rover.
In the proposed architecture, the lander and kick stage would be launched on a standard rocket and deployed into low Earth orbit. Helios will transport the lander to low lunar orbit within seven days, after which the two vehicles will separate and the lander will descend to the surface.
Impulse brings deep expertise in spacecraft engine development. It is already powered by the Lunar Module’s engines and uses the same fuel combination as the Cyph thrusters used in the company’s small spacecraft, Mira.
Meanwhile, Helios is “already well in development” and its first flight is scheduled for the end of 2026. The company estimates it will be flying Helios multiple times a year by 2028.
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Execution risk remains. As the company points out, the Lunar Module’s engines must be throttleable, restartable, and have high specific impulse to achieve super-control in the vacuum of space. Impulse appears to be hedging its bets, saying in a press release that it is “ready to execute based on industry demand and interest.” But if the company can deliver, it would open up a whole new monthly delivery schedule.
