SES Signs Multi-Launch Agreement for Helios Transport Services with Impulse Space

REDONDO BEACH, Calif. & LUXEMBOURG--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Impulse Space, the in-space mobility leader, and SES, a global content and connectivity provider, today announced a multi-launch agreement to use Impulse's Helios kick stage to shorten the time required for the selected SES's satellites to reach their final orbital position, whether on geostationary (GEO) or Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), by transporting the satellites from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) directly to high-energy orbits in hours.
The first mission, currently planned for 2027, will feature a dedicated deployment from a medium-lift launcher in LEO, followed by Helios transferring the 4-ton-class payload directly to GEO within eight hours of launch. The agreement provides opportunity for additional missions, allowing SES to rapidly and responsively launch satellites to their selected orbit on demand.
Traditionally, satellite operators wanting to launch their satellites to MEO or GEO orbits have had to choose between costly and low-supply heavy-lift rocket launches or slow, multi-month transfers using electric propulsion. Impulse's kick stage, Helios, is designed to rapidly deliver payloads from LEO directly to these high-energy orbits in hours, transforming industry dynamics.
'At SES, we are firm believers that co-development and collaboration with our partners will help the space industry to evolve and quicken the pace of innovation,' said Adel Al-Saleh, CEO of SES. 'Today, we're not only partnering with Impulse to bring our satellites faster to orbit, but this will also allow us to extend their lifetime and accelerate service delivery to our customers. We're proud to become Helios' first dedicated commercial mission.'
Helios' responsive capabilities and powerful engine enable mission operators to design—and price—satellites based on their specific operational orbit. This paradigm shift can simplify mission planning and decrease satellite mass, resulting in lower overall mission costs, while improving operational timelines.
'We believe MEO and GEO play a critical role in the space economy, but operators today face the challenges of slow, expensive, and inflexible access to these essential orbits,' said Tom Mueller, founder and CEO of Impulse Space. 'Helios changes that—it's built to move large payloads to high-energy orbits quickly and reliably. SES has a long history of embracing innovation and pushing our industry forward, and we're proud they've chosen Helios to support the next phase of their deployment strategy.'
This marks the first commercial contract for a dedicated Helios mission—where a single, 4-ton-class payload will fully leverage the vehicle's performance capabilities for direct transport to GEO.
About Impulse Space
Impulse Space, the in-space mobility company, is accelerating our future beyond Earth beginning with its fleet of cost-effective, high-performance space vehicles: Helios and Mira. The Helios kick stage unlocks high-energy orbits with its powerful Deneb engine, rapidly transporting payloads from LEO to MEO, GEO, heliocentric, lunar, and other planetary orbits. The flight-proven Mira enables precise maneuverability and rapid responsiveness for hosting, deployment, and rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) across any orbit. Founded by Tom Mueller and led by a team of industry pioneers, Impulse Space is transforming in-space mobility by reliably and rapidly getting customers where they want to go. And they're just getting started. For more information, visit www.impulsespace.com.
About SES
SES has a bold vision to deliver amazing experiences everywhere on Earth by distributing the highest quality video content and providing seamless data connectivity services around the world. As a provider of global content and connectivity solutions, SES owns and operates a geosynchronous orbit fleet and medium earth orbit (GEO-MEO) constellation of satellites, offering a combination of global coverage and high performance services. By using its intelligent, cloud-enabled network, SES delivers high-quality connectivity solutions anywhere on land, at sea or in the air, and is a trusted partner to telecommunications companies, mobile network operators, governments, connectivity and cloud service providers, broadcasters, video platform operators and content owners around the world. The company is headquartered in Luxembourg and listed on Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges (Ticker: SESG). Further information is available at: www.ses.com

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Yahoo

16 hours ago

• Yahoo

Macron says Europe must become 'space power' again

President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that Europe must again become a global space power, warning that France risked being squeezed out of the global low-orbit satellite constellation market. Macron spoke at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget outside the French capital a day after France more than doubled its stake in satellite operator Eutelsat, the EU rival to Elon Musk's Starlink. Macron called for more investment as the European space industry struggles to remain competitive in the face of US and Chinese rivals. "SpaceX has disrupted the market, Amazon is also getting involved. China is not far behind, and I think we all need to be very clear-headed," Macron said. Europe must become "a space power once again, with France at its heart", he said. He warned that Europeans were "on the verge of being completely" squeezed out of the low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation market. Orbiting just a few hundred kilometres above the Earth, low Earth orbit satellite networks can play a crucial role in various fields including telecommunications, emergency response, space exploration, and defence. Growing geopolitical tensions have forced countries to focus on the independence of their satellite infrastructure. Macron said France and its partners should not be reliant on non-European constellations in low orbit, calling it "madness". He called non-European players to team up with France. "This must be the solution for our major strategic partners in the Gulf, India, Canada and Brazil," he said. "We really need to succeed in increasing our collective investment effort," Macron added, noting the importance of private investors and public-private collaboration. He also said France planned to organise a space summit in early 2026 to "mobilise our public and private partners across the globe." As part of the overall deal with other investors worth 1.35 billion euros ($1.5 billion), the French state is set to become Eutelsat's largest shareholder. The European satellite operator is vying to be seen as an alternative to Starlink, as companies in Europe and elsewhere look askance at Musk's manoeuvrings and seek to secure sovereign solutions. Boasting more than 600 satellites since merging with British firm OneWeb in 2023, Eutelsat is the world's second-largest operator of low Earth orbit satellites, behind Starlink. fff-tq-as/ekf/js

Yahoo

a day ago

• Yahoo

Wall Street Is Bullish on AMD's s AI Push—Here's Why

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:) is one of the . On June 16, Piper Sandler analyst Harsh Kumar raised the price target on the stock to $140.00 (from $125.00) while maintaining a 'Overweight' rating. The firm cited growing optimism in the company's graphics processing unit (GPU) segment and confidence in its ability to continue driving strong results behind the price target raise. Piper Sandler is optimistic about AMD's latest product launches, particularly the new Helios rack system. It believes the system could boost growth in AMD's Instinct AI accelerator business. The firm made these comments shortly after the company revealed its new MI350 AI chips and previewed the upcoming MI400 series. Kumar also highlighted AMD's biggest segment, its client business, which is starting to show signs of improvement. The company's 'pull-ins' reflect how customers are ordering earlier than expected. Kumar further added that AMD's GPU business could revive by the fourth quarter of Fiscal 2025 once China-related issues resolve. To conclude, investors are confident about AMD's strategy and upcoming AI products. The firm's revised forecast suggests that the company can sustain ground in the competitive semiconductor market. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) develops and sells semiconductors, processors, and GPUs for data centers, gaming, AI, and embedded applications. While we acknowledge the potential of AMD as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: and Disclosure: None.

CNBC

a day ago

• CNBC

Satellite operator Eutelsat pops 14% as France backs capital raise

Eutelsat shares popped on Friday morning, after the European satellite operator announced a 1.35 billion euro ($1.55 billion) capital raise backed by the French state and other investors. The company's stock was up 14% at 09:17 a.m. London time. The company said that, along with a debt refinancing plan, the capital increase would support its investment in its existing Low Earth Orbit (LEO) capabilities, which are focused on business-to-business and business-to-government operations. Eutelsat shares have been hugely volatile this year, experiencing an enormous spike in March on expectations that it could be a European alternative to Elon Musk's Starlink, and subsequently cooling. "As the only European operator with a fully operational LEO network, Eutelsat is positioned to play a strategic role in supporting critical sectors such as military communications, cyber-resilience, and secure government connectivity, fully aligned with European Union and NATO objectives for strategic autonomy," it said in the release. Other investors, including the U.K., "could join the capital raise in due course," it added. Writing on X, French President Emmanuel Macron said that by strengthening Eutelsat's position France was "ensuring its strategic independence and paving the way for Europe's" and noted he would discuss the decision at the Paris Air Show on Friday.