Satellite startup Apex wins $45.9 million Space Force contract

WASHINGTON — Satellite manufacturing startup Apex Technology secured a $45.9 million contract from the U.S. Space Force, the Pentagon announced Feb. 12.The contract, awarded by the Space Systems Command, calls for an unspecified number of satellites to be delivered by 2032 to support missions across multiple orbits.This would be Apex’s largest government deal to date. The California-based company specializes in manufacturing standardized small satellite buses — the core platforms that house essential spacecraft systems including power, communications and propulsion. Apex developed three bus product lines capable of carrying payloads between 100 and 500 kilograms.The contract win comes as Apex expands beyond its initial focus on low Earth orbit satellites to develop capabilities for geostationary, medium Earth orbit and deep space missions. The company demonstrated its technology with its first operational satellite, Aries SN1, launched on SpaceX’s Transporter-10 mission in March 2024.Apex last year raised $95 million in a Series B funding round, which the company said would be used to expand production and develop new satellite models.The startup has been pursuing defense deals through a partnership with Pentagon contractor Anduril Industries to integrate artificial intelligence-powered systems for space awareness and missile tracking. Anduril said it plans to launch an Apex-built satellite bus in 2025.Apex started working with the Space Force in 2023 under a $2 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 2 contract to support the development of a satellite bus for the military’s “Tactically Responsive Space” (TacRS) initiative. TacRS is designed to demonstrate rapid satellite deployment capabilities to enable deployments of new assets in response to emerging threats. Several venture-funded firms are involved in the program, including Rocket Lab, Impulse Space, Firefly, and True Anomaly.While the Pentagon’s announcement did not specify whether the new $45.9 million contract is linked to TacRS, the contracting agency — the Space Systems Command’s division at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico — houses the Innovation & Prototyping Directorate and the Space Safari office that oversees TacRS efforts.