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This Week in Startups · 2026-06-03 · 62 min · 12,804 words

The project SpaceX's first employee raised $500M for

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Hello and welcome back to Twist. My name is Alex. Now, space companies are all over the news. SpaceX has filed to go public, bringing the world's leading space launch and connectivity company to the public markets at last. Blue Origin is in the news for accidentally exploding a heavy launch rocket on its pad, while SpaceX recently had a big success with its starship craft.

Rocket Lab today is worth $67 billion. It's a busy time in the market for getting mass from Earth. to space but what about the same mass once it reaches its initial orbit? What if you need to move a piece of space gear somewhere else? Well you're probably going to need a new set of tools, a new set of spacecraft, even engines for that work.

And that's what Impulse Space is working on. The company just closed a massive $500 million funding round, a Series D, that brings its total capital raised over the $1 billion mark. To help us understand Impulse Space's technology, its market, and why its latest Helios craft could put a higher orbit and even the moon into the palm of our hands, please join me in welcoming to the show Tom Mueller, CEO and CTO of Impulse Space. This week in startups is brought to you by Northwest Registered Agent.

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