Impulse Space has welcomed General John W. “Jay” Raymond to the company’s board of directors — the announcement comes amid the firm’s selection in January for two Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) contracts via the 2023 SpaceWERX Tactically Responsive Space Challenge.
Gen. Raymond served as the first Chief of Space Operations for the United States Space Force from 2019 to 2022 and was responsible for leading its establishment. During his tenure, Gen. Raymond oversaw the standup of all new Space Force organizations, transfer of personnel from other military branches, consolidation of space units from other services, setting of the services culture, and designing of its force structure. He has built extensive global partnerships with our allies and coalition partners, and with the intelligence community, the commercial space sector, and civilian space agencies. As a board member, General Raymond will support and advise the Impulse team in its work with government partners and customers.
In January, SpaceWERX announced it had selected Impulse Space for the award of two SBIR contracts to help advance in-orbit operational capabilities with Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) initiatives. Through the program, SpaceWERX aims to support cutting-edge projects that could enable the U.S. Space Force to more effectively respond to situations on-orbit — 232 companies submitted 302 proposals in response to the challenge, with Impulse Space being one of 19 awardees (and the only company to receive two awards).
The two awards support the objectives of TacRS in several ways. The first centers on demonstrating rapid refueling operations with Impulse’s high-thrust Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV), Mira, which leverages the non-toxic, domestically available, and storable propellants of nitrous oxide and ethane. Designed to host a variety of payloads or assist with rapid on-orbit maneuvering in LEO and GEO, Mira unlocks responsive orbital operations.
The second is focused on enabling responsive access to high-energy orbits beyond LEO by funding engine development for Helios, Impulse’s latest vehicle. Helios is designed to deliver large payloads from LEO to GEO within 24 hours.
“I am honored to join the Impulse Space team,” said General Raymond. “This innovative company, led by our nation’s leading propulsion experts, is focused on responsive space mobility. I look forward to working closely with the team to advance our nation’s freedom to maneuver in the domain which is so vital to our national security.”
“We believe that enabling tactical responsiveness in space—especially in orbits like MEO and GEO—is the next major frontier for our national space program, which is why we’re thrilled to have General Raymond join our board,” said Tom Mueller, founder and CEO of Impulse Space. “With the two awards from SpaceWERX and the guidance from General Raymond, Impulse can help bring the government closer to its goal of unlocking a more responsive space profile.”
