Apex Space, a startup backed by a16z and Shield Capital, has achieved a significant milestone with the successful deployment of its first satellite, named Aries, into orbit. The satellite was launched as part of SpaceX’s Transporter-10 rideshare mission and has been confirmed to be in a healthy state on orbit.
Key Takeaway
Apex Space has successfully deployed its first satellite, Aries, into orbit, marking a significant achievement in the company’s mission to revolutionize satellite bus manufacturing. The satellite’s confirmation of health on orbit and the future plans for customer payloads demonstrate Apex’s progress in the space industry.
Establishing Contact and Confirmation of Health
Shortly after the satellite’s deployment, Apex’s mission operators were able to establish contact with the spacecraft as it passed over a ground station. The initial UHF beacon transmitted data packets indicating the spacecraft’s state of health, followed by a switch to an S-band radio, enabling bidirectional communication with ground stations. This confirmed the satellite’s well-being in orbit, setting a new record for the fastest clean sheet design to production spacecraft on orbit.
Future Plans and Customer Payloads
Apex is now preparing to conduct a series of tests on the Aries satellite and its subsystems before handing it over to customers, who will run their payloads for approximately six months. Originally designed as a technology demonstrator, the satellite will serve as an ongoing software testbed on orbit after the completion of customer objectives. The company plans to utilize the satellite for testing flight software and guidance, navigation, and control systems, with a projected lifespan of another five years in space.
Expanding Product Lines and Future Goals
In addition to the Aries satellite, Apex Space is also developing two larger bus product lines, Nova and Comet, with the aim of starting production in 2025. The company’s mission is to address the satellite bus “bottleneck” in the space industry by offering productized satellite buses to support payloads of varying sizes.
