LEO Express-2 Mission Updates

Last updated: February 3, 2025

Mission: LEO Express-2 | Status: In Space | Impulse Vehicle: Mira

Launcher: SpaceX | Mission: Transporter-12 | Site: Vandenberg | Launch Date: January 14, 2025

OVERVIEW

LEO Express-2 is the second mission for Impulse’s Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV), Mira. Building on the success of LEO Express-1, in which Mira achieved a series of record-breaking orbital maneuvers, Impulse Space’s LEO Express-2 mission aims to tackle even more ambitious objectives while debuting various upgrades.

Mission Objectives Include:

• Satellite Deployment: Deliver commercial CubeSats to precise orbital locations, including payloads from FOSSA Systems and RIDE!.
• Hosted Payload Operations: Long-term Non-Earth Imagery (NEI) operations at various orbits in partnership with HEO.
• Exolaunch Collaboration: Flying the first-ever EXOpod on an OTV as part of our partnership with Exolaunch, advancing satellite deployment technologies.
• High-thrust Orbital Maneuvers: Demonstrate rapid, high-thrust maneuvers using Mira's Saiph thrusters.
• Expand Mira’s Collision Avoidance Capabilities: Reinforcing Impulse’s role as a responsible and efficient operator.
• Demonstrate Enhanced Communication Systems: Mira will feature new dual-redundant S- and X-band radios, advanced software, and many new ground stations.

LEO Express-2 represents not just a mission, but a demonstration of what’s possible. With each launch, Mira proves that efficient, reliable, and adaptable in-space transportation is not just a goal — it’s a reality.

Follow along for updates, image releases, and our completion of mission milestones.

The Impulse team with Mira.

UPDATES

February 3, 2025
UPDATE 5: Payload Deployment — FOSSASat TAT-0 (3U CubeSat)

Mission success! Both CubeSats have now been deployed.

After completing a burn last week, Mira deployed FOSSASat TAT-0, a 3U CubeSat developed by FOSSA Systems. Designed to support their LoRa-based IoT network, this satellite is part of an 80-satellite constellation aimed at providing global connectivity for industrial and national security applications.

The FOSSA team quickly established contact, completed commissioning, and confirmed stable operations. FOSSASat TAT-0 is now operating in its new orbit, advancing FOSSA Systems’ SatIoT Beta program.

With payload deployment complete, Mira will now focus on hosted payload operations.

January 30, 2025
UPDATE 4: Check-Out Burn Completed

Mira has successfully completed a check-out burn in preparation for upcoming orbital adjustments. The maneuver, captured from both sides of the vehicle, demonstrated precision performance and system readiness. The pulsing you see during the burn is by design — Mira’s thrusters engage in controlled off-pulsing to steer and stabilize the spacecraft throughout its maneuvers.

January 27, 2025
UPDATE 3: Payload Deployment — Bluebon 6U-XL CubeSat

CubeSat deployed! Mira has successfully completed the orbital insertion of Bluebon, a 6U-XL CubeSat from SatRev, as part of RIDE!’s Deep Blue Mission.

Special thanks to our customer, RIDE! It’s been a pleasure collaborating with you on such a seamless mission. We’re also big fans of your Deep Blue RIDE! mission patch, inspired by the sci-fi classic Deep Blue Sea. The patch beautifully features the satellite orbiting Earth’s oceans, symbolizing its mission to support efforts in monitoring and protecting our planet’s fragile marine ecosystems.

Mira’s mission isn’t over yet—more maneuvers are on the horizon. Stay tuned.

January 22, 2025
UPDATE 2: Vehicle Commissioning

LEO Express-2 is progressing smoothly, with Mira in good health as we rapidly execute vehicle commissioning.

We’ve established healthy uplink and downlink, utilizing both S- and X-band frequencies across an array of ground stations, and all systems are performing within expectations. Notably, we have already downlinked approximately 10x the quantity of data as we did for LEO Express-1 — a testament to the major upgrades to radios and software on this build.

Next up: payload deployment.

January 14, 2025
UPDATE 1: Successful Launch 🚀

Mira has officially launched on its second mission, LEO Express-2, aboard the Transporter-12 mission with SpaceX from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base.

Following deployment, we have successfully received initial data from Mira, verified nominal operation of our attitude control system, and are continuing to work through commissioning steps. Go Mira!

This milestone comes after months of preparation. As of December 18, 2024, Mira cleared its Final Mission Readiness Review, completing all pre-launch checks and integration with the launch vehicle. The mission team worked tirelessly on-site at Vandenberg Space Force Base to ensure mission readiness and a seamless launch.

The Impulse team with Mira during integration.

About Impulse Space

Impulse Space, the in-space transportation company founded by Tom Mueller, is opening access beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with its fleet of in-space transportation vehicles. The flight-proven Mira vehicle uses a nontoxic, high-impulse chemical propulsion system to offer orbital transport, constellation deployment, and precision reentry services to customers from LEO to GEO. The high-energy Helios vehicle unlocks orbits beyond LEO with its powerful Deneb engine, dropping off payloads in MEO, GEO, heliocentric, lunar, and other planetary orbits. Led by a team that delivered the most reliable rockets in history, Impulse provides economical and efficient in-space transportation by reliably and rapidly getting customers where they want to go.