Lodestar Space has been awarded funding under the UK Space Agency’s International Bilateral Fund (IBF) to accelerate the integration and on-the-ground demonstration of Lodestar’s Mithril avionics stack aboard the Impulse Space Mira spacecraft. The project is a trilateral collaboration between Lodestar Space (UK), University College London (UK), and Impulse Space (US).
Lodestar’s Mithril avionics will deliver the UK’s first sovereign payload for on-orbit detection and characterization of space targets, advancing the ability to assess and respond to emerging threats in orbit. For the test, the payload will be hosted on Impulse’s Mira spacecraft, a highly maneuverable vehicle for dynamic space operations, with proven flight heritage. The initiative will showcase real-time autonomy and maneuverability, strengthening UK-US collaboration and supporting the growing need for sustainable, safe, and assured space operations.
“This is a critical integration de-risking opportunity for both companies,” said Thomas Santini, CTO of Lodestar Space. “By aligning our technologies, we’ll demonstrate the track, characterize, and effect capability of Lodestar's AI autonomy software—Mithril—on Impulse’s Mira spacecraft, laying the groundwork for future deployments for UK-US military missions and proving the real-world readiness of autonomous in-orbit Protect and Defend.”
The IBF project will culminate in a live hardware-in-the-loop customer ground demonstration at Impulse’s headquarters, validating the system and de-risking a planned future UK-US orbital launch. By combining Lodestar’s sovereign avionics technology, UCL’s research expertise, and Impulse’s agile Mira spacecraft, the project will advance tactically responsive space-based Space Domain Awareness (SDA) capabilities for UK and US security and commercial needs.
“This project reflects Mira’s strengths when serving as a hosting platform: the ability to provide an agile, responsive, and high delta-v spacecraft that, paired with a payload like Mithril, can unlock new mission profiles on orbit,” said Eric Romo, President and Chief Operating Officer of Impulse Space. “We’re looking forward to collaborating with Lodestar and the University College London on this project backed by the UK Space Agency.”
About Impulse Space:
Impulse Space, the in-space mobility leader, 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 Lodestar Space:
Lodestar is developing the first fully autonomous, target-agnostic “Protect and Defend” capability for high-value assets in orbit. By partnering with best-in-class spacecraft manufacturers and integrating counter-space payloads, Lodestar leverages its core AI product, Mithril, to deliver counter-space effects fully autonomously. The result is a unified “Orbital Bodyguard” platform that augments existing satellite fleets and delivers end-to-end orbital defence for US and allied assets. For more information, visit www.lodestarspace.com
