Impulse Space, the aerospace company founded by SpaceX engine expert Tom Mueller, announced this week that it has completed a $500 million Series D funding round. The company plans to use the funds to expand its team, adding up to 200 new employees, and to advance the manufacturing and testing of more aircraft.

Funding used to expand the team

This funding round was led by 137 Ventures and BANNER VC, with participation from Founders Fund, Lux Capital, and Linse Capital. The report notes that as the US government continues to increase its spending on defense and national security, space and defense technology companies are attracting more capital attention.

Impulse Space is currently focused on on-orbit maneuvering. The company has launched the highly maneuverable platform called Mira, with target customers including the U.S. Space Force; it is also developing Helios, which aims to rapidly send satellites to higher orbits after they have entered low Earth orbit.

AI still cannot replace hardware engineering

Company President and Chief Operating Officer Eric Romo stated that the new funding will primarily be used to expand production capacity and recruit talent. Given the current shortage of aerospace engineers, recruitment is a key priority.

He stated that the company's software team is already using AI coding tools, but for real-world engineering problems, deep learning models are not yet sufficient to replace the design, analysis, manufacturing, and testing processes. Romo believes that AI progress in hardware design may lag behind that in text and code scenarios, partly because high-quality training data is difficult to obtain.

The next Mira launch is in the works.

As its business expands from propulsion systems to complete aircraft, Impulse Space is also recruiting talent in areas such as structural engineering and flight control computers. The company recently opened an office in Colorado to be closer to a larger hub for aerospace talent.

Mira completed its third flight late last year, but a navigation system problem during the mission caused the spacecraft to prematurely deplete a large amount of propellant. Romo stated that the company is preparing for a new Mira mission, expected to launch before the end of this year.