A Family Reunion: The LEO-2 and LEO 3-Flyby

updates

SEP 8 2026

Miras from Impulse's LEO Express 1 and LEO Express 2 missions capture imagery of one another during a flyby in orbit. At the nearest approach, the two spacecraft were less than 200 meters apart.

For decades, satellites circling the Earth stayed within relatively fixed orbital paths. Moving as fast as 17,000 miles per hour, they followed preset trajectories, occasionally using limited onboard propulsion systems for small adjustments to maintain their courses.

The promise of in-space mobility is to open a new era of mission operations: one where satellites can move dynamically throughout their lifetime, changing orbits and locations on demand as needed. There are many applications for this type of movement, from re-tasking a satellite and providing coverage to a new location on Earth, to inspecting another object on orbit, to improving communication links between satellites.

Impulse's spacecraft are purpose-built for this type of mobility and the future it enables. For our highly-maneuverable Mira vehicle, that includes eight onboard Saiph thrusters powered by non-toxic chemical propulsion, offering up to 850 m/s of delta-v for a 100 kg payload.

Recently, we had a chance to demonstrate just how agile Mira is with a special flyby mission.

A Family Reunion

This summer, Impulse conducted a series of flyby maneuvers to bring the Mira vehicle from our LEO Express 2 (LEO-2) mission close to the Mira vehicle from our LEO Express 3 (LEO-3) mission. At the nearest approach, the two spacecraft were less than 200 meters from each other-about the distance of two football fields apart.

Here's how the mission unfolded. In February this year, the LEO-2 Mira conducted the largest burn of the operation, moving its orbital plane closer to that of LEO-3. Throughout the spring and early summer, LEO-2 completed multiple smaller burns to bring it into orbital alignment with LEO-3.

Then in July, LEO-2 executed a series of close approaches to LEO-3, starting at about 820 meters apart and subsequently moving closer to LEO-3. Ultimately, for the closest approach, LEO-2 maneuvered to within about 200 meters of LEO-3.

For the flybys, Impulse worked with our partners at Starfish Space and HEO to capture images of both spacecraft.

The LEO-3 Mira vehicle, taken from a distance of approximately 700 meters by a camera onboard LEO-2. Image credit: Starfish Space / Impulse Space.

The LEO-2 Mira vehicle as seen from a telescope onboard LEO-3 from a distance of approximately 5,000 meters. Image credit: HEO / Impulse Space.

Flight-Proven Agility

This operation marks the second close-proximity series of maneuvers for Mira, building on the success of the Remora mission flown with Starfish. Last year, Remora showcased Mira's ability to integrate seamlessly with customer software and support fully autonomous rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) with its precision propulsion system.

This latest mission highlighted Mira's excellence across in-house systems, with Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC), propulsion, and mission operations teams all working together to execute multiple complex maneuvers. Demonstrating capabilities of rapid orbit determination and finely controlled propulsion, the Mira team proved why this vehicle is an ideal platform for operations like space domain awareness and tactical re-tasking.

"We're showcasing some of the advanced capabilities that set Mira apart from other vehicles," said Drew Damon, VP of Spacecraft Programs at Impulse. "Twice now, we've demonstrated that Mira has the agility and propulsion to support a new class of dynamic operations on orbit, and our team is excited to continue tackling the mission sets Mira is uniquely qualified to handle."

Freedom to Maneuver Without Regret

Impulse's goal is to provide end-to-end mobility in space, from the largest maneuvers to the smallest. Mira gives operators the flexibility to move wherever and whenever they want to-or "without regret"- within a given orbit, whether in LEO, geostationary orbit (GEO), or beyond.

"These types of dynamic, agile maneuvers are how we unlock full access to space after launch and create new mission possibilities," said Tom Mueller, CEO and founder of Impulse Space. "Our teams that design, build, and operate Mira are leading the way toward a true space age, and customers across all sectors will be the beneficiaries."