Selected missions will launch to Low Earth Orbit on a medium-lift rocket, then Impulse’s Helios high-energy kick stage will transport each SES satellite to higher orbits in hours
REDONDO BEACH, Calif. & LUXEMBOURG–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Impulse Space, the in-space mobility leader, and SES, a global content and connectivity provider, today announced a multi-launch agreement to use Impulse’s Helios kick stage to shorten the time required for the selected SES’s satellites to reach their final orbital position, whether on geostationary (GEO) or Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), by transporting the satellites from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) directly to high-energy orbits in hours.
The first mission, currently planned for 2027, will feature a dedicated deployment from a medium-lift launcher in LEO, followed by Helios transferring the 4-ton-class payload directly to GEO within eight hours of launch. The agreement provides opportunity for additional missions, allowing SES to rapidly and responsively launch satellites to their selected orbit on demand.
Traditionally, satellite operators wanting to launch their satellites to MEO or GEO orbits have had to choose between costly and low-supply heavy-lift rocket launches or slow, multi-month transfers using electric propulsion. Impulse’s kick stage, Helios, is designed to rapidly deliver payloads from LEO directly to these high-energy orbits in hours, transforming industry dynamics.
“At SES, we are firm believers that co-development and collaboration with our partners will help the space industry to evolve and quicken the pace of innovation,” said Adel Al-Saleh, CEO of SES. “Today, we’re not only partnering with Impulse to bring our satellites faster to orbit, but this will also allow us to extend their lifetime and accelerate service delivery to our customers. We’re proud to become Helios’ first dedicated commercial mission.”
Helios’ responsive capabilities and powerful engine enable mission operators to design—and price—satellites based on their specific operational orbit. This paradigm shift can simplify mission planning and decrease satellite mass, resulting in lower overall mission costs, while improving operational timelines.
“We believe MEO and GEO play a critical role in the space economy, but operators today face the challenges of slow, expensive, and inflexible access to these essential orbits,” said Tom Mueller, founder and CEO of Impulse Space. “Helios changes that—it’s built to move large payloads to high-energy orbits quickly and reliably. SES has a long history of embracing innovation and pushing our industry forward, and we’re proud they’ve chosen Helios to support the next phase of their deployment strategy.”
This marks the first commercial contract for a dedicated Helios mission—where a single, 4-ton-class payload will fully leverage the vehicle’s performance capabilities for direct transport to GEO.
About Impulse Space
Impulse Space, the in-space mobility company, is accelerating our future beyond Earth beginning with its fleet of cost-effective, high-performance space vehicles: Helios and Mira. The Helios kick stage unlocks high-energy orbits with its powerful Deneb engine, rapidly transporting payloads from LEO to MEO, GEO, heliocentric, lunar, and other planetary orbits. The flight-proven Mira enables precise maneuverability and rapid responsiveness for hosting, deployment, and rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) across any orbit. Founded by Tom Mueller and led by a team of industry pioneers, Impulse Space is transforming in-space mobility by reliably and rapidly getting customers where they want to go. And they’re just getting started. For more information, visit www.impulsespace.com.
About SES
SES has a bold vision to deliver amazing experiences everywhere on Earth by distributing the highest quality video content and providing seamless data connectivity services around the world. As a provider of global content and connectivity solutions, SES owns and operates a geosynchronous orbit fleet and medium earth orbit (GEO-MEO) constellation of satellites, offering a combination of global coverage and high performance services. By using its intelligent, cloud-enabled network, SES delivers high-quality connectivity solutions anywhere on land, at sea or in the air, and is a trusted partner to telecommunications companies, mobile network operators, governments, connectivity and cloud service providers, broadcasters, video platform operators and content owners around the world. The company is headquartered in Luxembourg and listed on Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges (Ticker: SESG). Further information is available at: www.ses.com
Contacts
Impulse Space
[email protected]
SES
Suzanne Ong
Communications
Tel. +352 710 725 500
[email protected]
