With launch costs decreasing thanks to companies like SpaceX, the new bottleneck and business opportunity is moving payloads around once they reach orbit. Impulse Space was founded on the thesis that a robust in-space logistics and transportation layer is the critical next step for the space economy, enabling missions to GEO, the Moon, and beyond.
Impulse Space employs a strategy of extreme vertical integration, with in-house machine shops, 3D printing labs, and test facilities. This approach, learned from SpaceX, allows for rapid prototyping, testing, and iteration, significantly accelerating the development of complex hardware like rocket engines and spacecraft.
The company is developing advanced propulsion systems, notably the Deneb engine, which uses a high-performance ox-rich staged combustion cycle. Mueller predicts it will be the highest-performing hydrocarbon engine ever flown, capable of enabling ambitious missions by significantly increasing payload capacity to high-energy destinations.
Mueller argues that moving high-growth, resource-intensive industries into space is a long-term necessity. He identifies data centers as a 'no-brainer' to move to space to access abundant solar power, and advocates for mining the Moon and asteroids for materials like copper to address future shortages on Earth.
Keep pulling the thread on Tom Mueller.