Impulse Space, a startup backed by billionaire Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, raised $500 million in a new funding round, the company announced.
Led by Tom Mueller, an early employee at Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Impulse Space has raised roughly $1 billion since it launched in 2021 and focuses on developing “space tugs,” or spacecraft that can haul satellites across different orbits.
The Series D round values the company at $4.26 billion, including the investment, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The company so far has two vehicles. The Mira craft has flown three missions, with the most recent one launched in November 2025. The larger Helios, which can maneuver heavier payloads, will begin flying in 2027.
The Series D funding round was co-led by 137 Ventures and Banner VC and included participation from past investors including Founders Fund and Linse Capital, Impulse said.
Impulse Space said it will use the new funds to expand its team and manufacturing capacity. Over the past year, the company has more than doubled its headcount and opened up new branches in Washington, DC and Boulder, Colorado.
The company is also working to develop propulsions systems that will enable spacecraft to move adeptly for specific purposes, like long-distance transport, landing, and changing positions within orbits.
Impulse Space, along with other partners, is supporting Anduril Industries Inc. to create prototypes of space-based interceptors for President Donald Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense shield, a layered defense system intended to protect the US from foreign attacks.
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