Overview
- Impulse Space outlined a lunar cargo system built around a new lander capable of placing about three metric tons on the Moon starting in 2028.
- The architecture pairs the lander with the launcher‑agnostic Helios kick stage, which is designed to move the stack from low Earth orbit to low lunar orbit in roughly one week.
- The lander’s engine is in development to use nitrous oxide and ethane, the same storable propellant combination flown on the company’s Mira spacecraft via Saiph thrusters.
- The company targets two landings in 2028 for up to six tonnes delivered in total, with Helios’ first flight planned for late 2026 and an expectation of multiple Helios missions per year by 2028.
- Impulse frames the offering as filling a mid‑size delivery gap between CLPS-class and human‑class landers, with rivals including Blue Origin’s 3‑ton Mark 1, which NASA selected to carry the VIPER rover in 2027.