Impulse Space is building Helios, a kick stage that adds 9 km/s of delta‑V toոդ payloads, lifting them from low‑Earth orbit to the 36,000 km geostationary ring. The stage turns a Falcon 9 or other medium‑lift launch vehicle into a larger‑class rocket without redesigning the core.

Under Lane 1 of the U.S. Space Force national security launch-route, Impulse will喷 contract for a full launch, stack Helios and a satellite into the payload fairing, and hand the job to the Space Force. To qualify, the company must fly Helios first, pass a post‑flight review, and then bid on task orders. If approved, users could see theirTat launch 18‑24 months after the flight.

Development milestones are clear: a run tank has shipped to the Mojave Air & Space Port for pressure and endurance tests, and the Deneb engine—powered by liquid oxygen and methane—has achieved 15,000‑pound thrust in the lab. Impulse targets a 2027 flight date, debuting on a Falcon 9.

Helios places Impulse beside Relativity Space and Rocket Lab in the new Lane 1 cohort, widening the pool of contractors that can deliver secure payloads. This expansion pressures existing launch providers to offer more flexible, cost‑effective options for government customers.