Impulse Space invests $500 million to prioritize humans over AI

Impulse Space, a company founded by former SpaceX propulsion expert Tom Mueller, recently announced an impressive $500 million fundraising round in a Series D financing. This amount will primarily be used to recruit up to 200 new employees, thereby strengthening its team with human talent.

The funding round was led by 137 Ventures and BANNER VC, with notable participation from Founders Fund, Lux Capital, and Linse Capital. This massive investment reflects a growing interest among investors in space and defense technologies, especially in a context where the U.S. government is ramping up its funding for national security issues.

Impulse Space stands out for its focus on space mobility. The company has developed Mira, a highly maneuverable platform aimed at attracting clients like the U.S. Space Force. In parallel, it is working on Helios, a vehicle designed to quickly transport satellites to higher orbits after their initial deployment.

Eric Romo, president and COO of Impulse, explained to TechCrunch that this new funding will allow for the construction and testing of more spacecraft. He emphasized the importance of recruiting talent in the aerospace sector, a field where demand is high. Romo, who was SpaceX's 13th employee in 2003, recalled his experience where computer simulations were not always accurate. He considered it a success to achieve 20% correct responses with those simulations.

Although the company uses AI-based coding tools for its software teams, Romo clarified that deep learning models are not yet ready to solve complex engineering problems. He expressed doubts about the rapid arrival of AI tools for hardware design, due to the difficulty in obtaining adequate training data. Unlike texts and codes available online to train language models, specific technical designs are not easily accessible.

Impulse Space, initially focused on propulsion, has expanded its scope to include spacecraft construction. This has required the hiring of engineers specialized in vehicle structures and flight computers. The recent opening of an office in Colorado reflects the company's desire to attract aerospace talent, which now has more geographical options for work.

The next step for Impulse is a new launch of its spacecraft Mira. After a third flight last year marked by a navigation issue that led to excessive propellant consumption, the company is preparing for a new mission scheduled before the end of the year.