Impulse Space Wins Two NASA Moon Base Task Orders

The task orders were issued through NASA’s VADR (Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare) launch services contract, part of the agency’s Commercial Access to Space Program. They follow orbital transfer vehicle studies previously conducted by Impulse under VADR and are among the first awards supporting Moon Base, the company said.

For the first mission, Impulse will be prime contractor and work with SpaceX, whose Falcon 9 will launch a NASA payload. The task order also includes an option for Mira vehicles to carry alternative payloads to cislunar space.

Impulse will also lead the second mission, which is scheduled to launch on Relativity’s Terran R. That rocket will carry Impulse spacecraft to orbit; Impulse will then transport NASA payloads farther into space. The mission payloads will include Helios and the lander. Helios will act as a kick stage, while the lander will place NASA payloads in their target cislunar orbits. Afterward, the lander will make a descent profile to test larger cargo deliveries to the lunar surface.

NASA’s Moon Base program is intended to establish infrastructure for a lasting human presence on the Moon through crewed and uncrewed missions. Impulse founder and CEO Tom Mueller said he was “ecstatic to be sending hardware to the Moon for the first time” after more than 30 years in rocketry. He described the award as one of the most important achievements of his career. More information on the program and the task orders is expected in the coming weeks.