"Impulse Space, founded in 2021 by former SpaceX co-founder Tom Mueller, is an up and coming player in the wacky world of space tugs, more professionally known as 'orbital transfer vehicles.' OTVs are satellites designed to carry spaceborn cargo to various orbits."
"The Pentagon has inked a deal with Impulse Space and Anduril Industries to design prototypes of 'space based interceptors,' which are vehicular weapons platforms meant to destroy US-bound missiles from orbit."
"NASA previously studied space tugs back in the late 1960s, but they never came to be thanks to budget cuts in the 1970s. The space agency's most recent motions in the OTV space came in 2025."
The Pentagon has engaged Impulse Space and Anduril Industries to create an orbital missile defense system, known as the Golden Dome. Impulse Space, founded by former SpaceX co-founder Tom Mueller, will serve as a subcontractor to Anduril. The project involves designing space-based interceptors to target missiles from orbit. Impulse specializes in orbital transfer vehicles (OTVs), which transport cargo in space. Despite theoretical advancements, practical applications of space tugs have been limited due to historical budget constraints.
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