Impulse Space Adds Former Space Force Chief John ‘Jay’ Raymond to Board

In-space transportation provider Impulse Space’s board of directors has added retired U.S. Space Force Gen. John Raymond to its ranks.

Raymond, a past Potomac Officers Club event speaker and Wash100 winner, served as the Space Force’s first chief of space operations from 2019 to 2022, Impulse Space said.

He oversaw the establishment of various Space Force components, the transition of personnel from other service branches and the formation of partnerships with allies, the intelligence community and the private sector.

Raymond said he would work closely with the company to advance U.S. space maneuvering capabilities essential to national security.

News of his addition to Impulse Space’s director board comes after the company secured two Small Business Innovation Research contracts through SpaceWERX’s Tactically Responsive Space Challenge.

The first contract tasks Impulse Space to demonstrate rapid refueling operations using the Mira high-thrust orbital transfer vehicle. The second contract provides funding to develop the company’s Helios vehicle to enable responsive access beyond low-Earth orbit.