Impulse Space lays out a plan for mid-sized lunar deliveries
Impulse Space, a SpaceX veteran-founded startup, on Tuesday unveiled a plan to haul up to six tons of cargo to the Moon using a combination of a new lunar lander and its high-energy “Helios” kick stage. The proposal targets a niche in lunar logistics: payloads too large for current mid-range landers and too small for human-rated systems, with the goal of first deliveries as early as 2028.
CEO and founder Tom Mueller, renowned for his propulsion work at SpaceX, frames the approach as filling a “critical gap” in lunar surface logistics. The company envisions two missions delivering a total of about 0.5 to 13 tons of payload per mission window, a range that could accommodate rovers, habitat modules, power generators, communication systems, or even a lunar terrain vehicle. The ambition is to offer a cost-effective way to move substantial cargo to the surface without in-space refueling.
The architecture: a lander paired with the Helios stage
The proposed system would launch on a standard rocket. In low Earth orbit, the Helios kick stage would take the paired lander—the “lunar lander engine” being developed in-house—toward the Moon. After a roughly seven-day transit to low lunar orbit, the two vehicles would separate. The lander would then descend to the surface to deliver its cargo, while Helios remains paired for potential additional boosts or future missions.
Impulse notes that its propulsion experience underpins the plan: the lunar lander engine uses the same fuel combination as the Saiph thrusters on the company’s Mira small spacecraft. That heritage is cited as a pathway to a throttleable, restart-capable engine with high specific impulse—traits deemed essential for precise surface deliveries in the vacuum of space.
Timeline and milestones
Helios is already described as “well into development,” with the first flight anticipated in late 2026. If all goes as planned, Impulse expects Helios to fly multiple times per year by 2028, enabling a cadence that could unlock routine surface deliveries on the Moon. The dual-vehicle approach is pitched as adaptable to demand, with the company signaling willingness to adjust production and launch tempo to market interest and customer needs.
<h2 market context and potential challenges
Impulse positions its plan within a shifting lunar logistics landscape. NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program has already shown demand for mid-to-large payloads, while the forthcoming human-rated landers—being developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin—are aimed more at crewed missions and larger freight. Impulse argues its 0.5 to 13-ton payload window would fill the space between these programs, offering a practical option for rovers, habitat components, power generation units, and other support hardware.
However, execution remains nontrivial. Lunar lander engines must be throttleable, restartable, and capable of sustaining ultra-high specific impulse in the lunar vacuum. The company acknowledges the risks and says it is ready to align its development with industry demand and customer interest.
<h2 What success could look like for lunar logistics
If Impulse Space can achieve a reliable, repeatable six-ton-per-mission capability by 2028, it could establish a new cadence for surface deployments. That would enable not only larger scientific and commercial experiments but also more ambitious settlement infrastructure, such as extended life-support habitats and long-range lunar vehicles. A flexible, non-refueling surface delivery system would be a notable addition to the evolving toolkit for returning humans to the Moon and supporting sustainable exploration.
In short, Impulse Space’s 6-ton lunar delivery plan represents a bold bet on midsize cargo economics, a niche that could unlock a steady stream of equipment and capabilities to the lunar surface within the next few years.
