Apex’s Aries Spacecraft Will Fly for the First Time on SpaceX’s Transporter-10 Mission
Apex, the Los Angeles-based spacecraft mass manufacturing company, announced its flagship product, the Aries satellite bus, will fly for the first time on SpaceX’s Transporter-10 mission, which is targeted for no earlier than January 2024.
Apex builds productized satellite buses, starting with their flagship Aries spacecraft, capable of a maximum 200kg wet mass. Apex spacecraft are produced in bulk and can be configured with different performance packages, enabling Apex customers to leverage the benefits of serial production for varied mission needs.
This first mission, named “Call to Adventure”, involves the Aries satellite bus fitted with multiple customer payloads. Upon successful flight in early 2024, Apex’s spacecraft will be the fastest founding-to-launch of any spacecraft in the Aries size class, with Apex delivering the satellite bus in under 12 months from order.
As Apex continues to increase its manufacturing capabilities, it expects to continue to reduce lead times, meeting the demands of its customers. Apex is producing five Aries spacecraft buses in 2024, 20 in 2025, and 100 in 2026.
Apex, based in Los Angeles, has received venture capital funding from Andreessen Horowitz alongside XYZ, J2, Lux Capital, Village Global, and 75andSunny.
The executive team, Ian Cinnamon and Max Benassi, lean on their extensive experience across aerospace, dual use, and deep technology companies to bring their vision of Apex to life. Ian, Apex’s CEO, previously led his venture-backed company Synapse through its growth and acquisition by Palantir. CTO Max previously scaled aerospace manufacturing at SpaceX before operating as Director of Engineering at Astra.
