New space payload delivery company founded by SpaceX founding member Tom Mueller raises capital investment from firm renowned for backing futurists focused on using science and technology to improve the human condition

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (Impulse Space, Inc. PR) — Impulse Space, Inc – leading the development of in-space transportation services for the inner solar system – today announced it has secured $10 million in funding by Lux Capital, the venture capital firm focused on emerging science and technology ventures at the outermost edges of what is possible. Following the recently raised $20 million seed round funding led by Founders Fund, this sets Impulse on an accelerated path toward its mission to provide agile, economic capabilities to access any orbit.

“With funding from Lux Capital, Impulse continues to build on a solid financial foundation and an equally strong foundation of the amazing people supporting us,” says Impulse Space Founder and CEO Tom Mueller. “Especially for a company like Impulse Space, it’s important to be aligned with people and organizations that trust in our technologies and capabilities as much as we do.”

Multi-Mode propulsion enables new mission capabilities
 for the commercial in-space mobility market

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (Phase Four PR) — Phase Four, the creator of the radio-frequency thruster (RF Thruster) for satellite propulsion, announced today that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Impulse Space, a Space 2.0 pioneer providing agile, economical last-mile space payload delivery capabilities. The companies seek to explore and collaborate on opportunities to develop and market multi-mode propulsion capabilities that may be employed by future commercial space vehicles. The companies will evaluate the performance of Phase Four’s propellant-agnostic RF Thruster on green propellants of interest.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., March 29, 2022 (ImpulseSpace Propulsion PR) — ImpulseSpace Propulsion – leading the development of in-space transportation services for the inner solar system – today announced it has secured $20 million in a seed round led by Founders Fund, the San Francisco-based venture capital firm founded by Peter Thiel whose investments have backed some of the tech sector’s most successful and high-profile startups. Capital will be used by Impulse to further its mission to provide agile, economical capabilities to access any orbit.

“This is an exciting time for both Impulse and the space industry,” says Impulse Founder and CEO Tom Mueller. “With smaller satellites and launch costs decreasing, space is more accessible than ever. There exists, however, the challenge to efficiently move payloads into higher-energy orbits. At Impulse, we don’t see this as a problem needing a solution but rather a question needing an answer. And we’ve got it.”  

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (Impulse Space Propulsion PR) — Impulse Space Propulsion – a Space 2.0 pioneer providing agile, economical last-mile space payload delivery capabilities – is pleased to announce the appointment of Barry A. Matsumori to Chief Operating Officer (COO). An industry veteran with decades of experience in mobile wireless and Space 2.0 sectors, Barry will be a key member of Impulse’s executive team, instrumental in driving Impulse’s mission to become the go-to leader for in-space transportation of satellites to optimal orbits.

“We are super excited to welcome Barry to the team,” says Impulse Founder Tom Mueller, a renowned industry visionary who was a founding member of SpaceX. “Barry brings it all: inspirational leadership qualities, deep industry experience and high energy. His unique ability to create momentum out of thin air and motivate people to ride the wave will be a tremendous contribution to Impulse as we accelerate the transition to the use of inner solar system resources to protect Earth.”

Behind the Scenes With the World’s Most Ambitious Rocket Makers
Popular Mechanics

An improbable partnership between an Internet mogul and an engineer could revolutionize the way NASA conducts missions—and, if these iconoclasts are successful, send paying customers into space.

Mueller’s ambitious moonlighting caught the attention of Internet multimillionaire Elon Musk, who met the engineer at the warehouse in January 2002 as Mueller was trying to attach his homemade engine to an airframe. Fresh from the $1.5 billion sale of PayPal to eBay, Musk was seeking staff for a new space company, soon to be called Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX. He eyed the rocket engine and asked a simple question: “Can you build something bigger?”

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