Impulse Space待履約訂單擴大，D輪募資增至8.08億美元

（更正第1項重點及第2段的估值）(Corrects valuation in bullet 1 and paragraph 2)

Akash Sriram 報導By Akash Sriram

9月16日（路透社）——打造太空船以運送衛星和其他酬載的新創公司 Impulse Space 週三表示，該公司在D輪募資延伸輪中籌得3.08億美元；隨著商業及政府客戶的待履約訂單增加，公司正尋求滿足相關需求。Sept 16 (Reuters) - Impulse Space has raised $308 million in an extension of the Series D funding round, the startup building spacecraft to move satellites and other payloads said on Wednesday, as it looks to serve a backlog from commercial and government customers.

一名接近該公司的消息人士表示，這次延伸輪使 Impulse Space 估值達54億美元。SpaceX 6月以860億美元估值首次公開募股（IPO），提振投資人對太空產業的熱情，也協助改善 Impulse Space 等公司的募資環境。The extension valued the company at $5.4 billion, according to a source close to the company. SpaceX's $86 billion IPO in June has bolstered investor enthusiasm for the space sector, helping improve the fundraising environment for companies such as Impulse.

這次延伸輪使 Impulse Space 的D輪募資總額達8.08億美元。該公司6月宣布一輪5億美元募資，當時估值為42.6億美元。The extension brings Impulse's Series D financing to $808 million, following a $500 million round announced in June that valued the company at $4.26 billion.

隨著公司擴大生產，並努力將不斷增加的政府與商業合約待履約訂單轉化為營收，Impulse Space 也聘請 Vizio 高階主管亞當・湯森（Adam Townsend）出任財務長。The company also hired Vizio executive Adam Townsend as chief financial officer, as it scales production and works to turn a growing backlog of government and commercial contracts into revenue.

Impulse Space 總裁兼營運長艾瑞克・羅莫（Eric Romo）獨家告訴路透社，該輪募資結束後，投資人需求仍然強勁，使 Impulse Space 得以籌集更多資金，在客戶需求之前先行擴張。Investor demand for the round remained strong after it closed, President and Chief Operating Officer Eric Romo exclusively told Reuters, allowing Impulse to raise more capital to expand ahead of customer demand.

Impulse Space 由 SpaceX 首名員工、前推進系統主管湯姆・穆勒（Tom Mueller）創立。公司將把新資金主要用於加速招募與製造；目前員工已超過600人，並有逾180個職缺。Impulse, founded by SpaceX's first employee and its former propulsion chief, Tom Mueller, will use the new capital chiefly to accelerate hiring and manufacturing. It now has more than 600 employees and over 180 open roles.

羅莫說：「我們檢視計畫後認為，嗯，天啊，如果我們再多募一點資金，就算未來發生悲觀情境，也能讓我們有信心持續招聘，並稍微超前客戶的計畫。」"We looked at the plan and said, well, gosh, if we raise a little bit more, it'll give us confidence that even if a pessimistic scenario happens in the future, we can hire and be a little bit ahead of the plans from customers," Romo said.

羅莫表示，Impulse Space 規劃於2028年執行的 Caravan 2 與 Caravan 3 Helios 共乘任務名額已售罄，並已預訂其他專屬飛行任務。Impulse has sold out its Caravan 2 and Caravan 3 Helios rideshare missions planned for 2028 and has booked additional dedicated flights, Romo said.

他說：「我認為，就市場對這項產品的接受度而言，市場若說有讓我們意外之處，也是比我們預期更好。Helios 的發射任務清單真的已經排滿了。因此，我們現在需要為那些客戶完成交付。」"The market, I think, has surprised us, if anything, to the upside as far as the reception of that product," he said. "We're really full on our manifest for Helios. So now we need to deliver on that for those customers."

（班加羅爾 Akash Sriram 報導；Maju Samuel 編輯）(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)