On Wednesday, September 9, 2026, in-space logistics provider Impulse Space published technical results detailing a series of close-proximity orbital maneuvers executed between its active LEO Express 2 and LEO Express 3 spacecraft.
During the operational campaign, the company brought the original Mira orbital transfer vehicle from the LEO Express 2 mission within less than 200 meters of the upgraded Mira vehicle deployed on LEO Express 3.
Vehicle Heritage and Proximity Flight Lineage
The proximity campaign represents the second successful rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) series executed by Impulse Space, building upon flight heritage established during the earlier Remora mission flown in partnership with Starfish Space.
The flight validation builds on the company’s vehicle development roadmap, which introduced the next-generation upgraded Mira spacecraft platform aboard LEO Express 3. That mission validated upgraded Saiph chemical thrusters, reaction wheel attitude control systems, and flight software architecture designed for autonomous orbital hosting and non-Earth imaging.
Maneuver Parameters and Onboard Flight Performance
During the flyby sequence, the two spacecraft maintained continuous relative position tracking while closing to a minimum relative distance of under 200 meters, approximately the distance of two football fields. The mission sequence required real-time coordination across Impulse Space’s guidance, navigation, and control (GNC), propulsion, and flight operations teams at its Redondo Beach control center.
Executing sub-200-meter flybys validates several critical in-house subsystems, including rapid orbit determination software, autonomous relative navigation sensors, and finely controlled thruster burns. These maneuvering capabilities demonstrate the precision required to conduct inspection passes, close-range proximity tracking, and in-space servicing without relying on active ground control loops during critical encounter windows.
In-Space Logistics Roadmap and Operational Outlook
The flyby validation establishes a baseline for Impulse Space’s expanding portfolio of responsive orbital transportation services. The flight control protocols demonstrated during the LEO Express maneuvers will be integrated into production lines for future Mira orbital transfer vehicles and the heavy-capacity Helios transfer stage, supporting multi-orbit satellite delivery, constellation phasing, and responsive space missions for civil and defense customers.
