Impulse Space's Helios kick stage enters Space Force launch competition with Falcon 9 compatibility

Impulse Space is developing a "kick stage" called Helios that provides up to 9 km/s of delta-V to boost payloads from low-Earth orbit to geostationary orbit. This technology allows medium-lift rockets like SpaceX's Falcon 9 to perform like larger, more powerful rockets. Under the Space Force's Lane 1 program, Impulse Space will contract to provide end-to-end launch services by procuring a launch vehicle and stacking the Helios kick stage on top. The article notes that the Phase 3 program did not originally anticipate this kind of offering.