Scaling production while maintaining aerospace qualityMoving from custom-built (slow, expensive) to 200+ per year requires new discipline and automation; failures cascade across a batch.
GEO radiation effects on payload lifetimesGeostationary orbit exposes electronics to higher radiation; GEO Aries requires radiation-hardened components and qualified designs.
Physics limits
Payload bay size sets the upper limitAries tops out at 150 kg because larger payloads need more structure and power than the small bus can provide; customers wanting >150 kg move to Nova.
Geostationary altitude demands radiation hardeningThe Van Allen belts at 36,000 km deliver 100,000+ times more radiation than LEO; electronics must be specially selected and tested, adding cost and lead time.
How it works
3 parts
Standardized chassis
Pre-engineered structure and subsystems
Apex delivers a configurable foundation with power, attitude control, and comms ready; customers add payload.
Manufacturing
High-rate production lines in Los Angeles
Factory One in Los Angeles runs subassembly lines and cleanrooms with automated test to reach 200+ units/year.
Mission types
Earth observation, communications, IoT
Targets constellation and single-sat operators; GEO Aries for telecom and gov comms.
Apex manufactures standardized satellite bus platforms for rapid deployment in LEO, MEO, and GEO. The company combines aerospace with high-rate manufacturing at Factory One in Los Angeles, with capacity for 200+ buses per year.
Shipped 3 satellites in 2024; plans 10 in 2025, 100 in 2026, reversing the custom-bus bottleneck.
The company has raised $718M+ in funding from Andreessen Horowitz, Upfront Ventures, 8VC, Toyota Ventures, Point72 Ventures, and others.
Factory One in Los Angeles includes subassembly lines, cleanrooms, and a 66,000 lbf vibration table for high-rate production.
