Impulse Space‘s LEO Express 3 will be the third flight for Mira, the company’s high-thrust, highly maneuverable spacecraft—this will be the first mission for the upgraded vehicle design.
Building on the successful LEO Express 1 and 2 missions, LEO Express 3 will validate Mira’s improved systems ahead of future missions (including GEO flights beginning in 2026), provide flight heritage for multiple avionics components for future Helios flights as well as fulfill customer objectives.
With customer missions spanning hosted demos, non-Earth imaging (NEI), and CubeSat deployments, Mira is once again delivering advanced in-space mobility as a responsive, high delta-v platform.
Mission objectives include:
- Deploy Payloads: Deliver CubeSats from returning customer FOSSA Systems, using partner Exolaunch’s EXOpod Nova deployment system, to target orbital destinations
- Host Payloads: Support long-term NEI operations by returning customer HEO’s Holmes Mk2 NEI camera, as well as demonstrations from Samara Aerospace (the Cicada hardware, to validate MSAC technology) and Zenno Astronautics (the Supertorquer, a superconducting actuator generating strong magnetic fields)
- Deploy and Actuate Gimbaled Solar Arrays: Operate Mira’s new deployable, gimbaled solar arrays, which increase available onboard power for hosted missions
- Operate Reaction Wheels: Exercise precise attitude control with Mira’s new onboard reaction wheels
- Validate Helios Avionics Components: Flight testing for future Helios subsystems, including IMU, batteries, and radios
- Demonstrate Upgraded Propulsion Capabilities: Validate upper bounds of performance for the upgraded Mira’s propulsion systems, which offer a 25% increase in delta-v over prior versions
With the LEO Express 3 mission, Mira is advancing in-space mobility for customers and pushing the bounds of what’s possible for the space economy. This is one of the ways Impulse Space is working to accelerate the company’s future beyond Earth.