Impulse Space, the leader for in-space mobility, and Astranis, manufacturer of advanced high-orbit satellites, signed a contract today for an upcoming mission to GEO. Targeting a 2027 launch, the mission will utilize aSpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch to low Earth orbit (LEO), where it will deployImpulse’s Helios kick stage. Leveraging chemical propulsion via its powerfulDeneb engine, Helios will then deliver Astranis MicroGEO satellites from LEO toGEO in less than 24 hours, deploying them to their target orbital regime in geostationary orbit.

This mission will showcase the capabilities of Astranis and Impulse to rapidly deploy satellites to geostationary orbit without the use of a Heavy-class rocket, a mission profile appealing to government and commercial customers alike.

Astranis satellites provide dedicated, secure, enterprise-grade communications from GEO for customers around the world.Geostationary orbit allows a single satellite to provide 24/7 operational service, but reaching that orbit requires traversing the radiation-laden VanAllen Belts that surround the planet. Traditionally, Astranis satellites have used efficient but low thrust electric propulsion thrusters to make the orbit raise maneuver, which can take months.

By using Helios to rapidly transit between orbits, Astranis will avoid the cost and risk of a slower transit, instead arriving at the target destination in a matter of hours after launch.

“We selected Impulse’s Helios vehicle for this mission because it offers a faster, more reliable, and more cost-effective way for us to get our satellites operational and delivering service to customers,”said John Gedmark, co-founder and CEO of Astranis. “Demonstrating new methods of rapidly deploying satellites to geostationary orbit is important for both our government and commercial customers, and Impulse is the perfect partner for us in this effort.”

“This is exactly the type of mission that Helios is designed for,” said Eric Romo, President and COO of Impulse Space. “By providing rapid transport to higher energy orbits, we help operators like Astranis to begin delivering on their mission promise sooner. And with our vertically-integrated approach to design, manufacturing, and testing, we offer reliability and schedule assurance to further de-risk the mission profile.”

Astranis will be flying as the primary payload on the mission, with the potential for secondary payloads to be added later.