WASHINGTON \u2014 Impulse Space has purchased three Falcon 9 launches for its Helios transfer vehicle for missions starting in 2026, including one for the Space Force.<\/p>
Impulse Space announced Nov. 14 that it signed a contract with SpaceX for the Falcon 9 launches. Each launch will carry the company\u2019s Helios transfer vehicle, a high-energy kick stage the company introduced in January<\/a> to transport payloads quickly between orbits.<\/p> The first launch, planned for mid-2026, will be the first flight of Helios. The transfer vehicle will transport the company\u2019s smaller Mira vehicle, carrying a commercial optical payload, from low Earth orbit to geostationary transfer orbit on the Victus Surgo mission for the Space Force and Defense Innovation Unit. Impulse Space received a $34.5 million contract<\/a> for Victus Surgo and another mission, Victus Salo, Oct. 3. Impulse Space said the schedule and payloads for the other two Helios launches will be determined later.<\/p> \u201cSecuring these launches allows us to showcase the full potential of Helios,\u201d Eric Romo, president and chief operating officer of Impulse Space, said in a company statement. \u201cDelivering spacecraft to high energy orbits rapidly and economically changes the equation for commercial communication operators and national security missions like Victus Surgo.\u201d<\/p> Helios is powered by a liquid-oxygen, liquid-methane engine called Deneb that produces 15,000 pounds-force of thrust. Impulse Space separately unveiled a developmental version of Deneb Nov. 14, claiming that the engine is \u201cone of the highest-performing liquid oxygen\/liquid methane engines\u201d developed. The company said tests of Deneb will begin soon.<\/p>