by WASHINGTON – Defense technology company Anduril Industries has selected Apex, a Los Angeles-based satellite manufacturing startup, to supply small satellite buses for its planned military space missions, the company announced Oct. 1.
The collaboration is part of Anduril’s broader strategy to expand into the military space sector. The defense contractor recently announced plans to develop spacecraft for applications such as space domain awareness, space sensor data processing and satellite defense.
Gokul Subramanian, senior vice president of aerospace and engineering at Anduril, said Apex was chosen for its ability to rapidly deliver commoditized satellite buses, which offer shorter production times than competitors.
“Anduril will use Apex’s buses to host AI-powered payloads that can perform edge data processing in orbit,” Subramanian said.
Apex’s Aries satellite bus flew its first mission in March, carrying multiple payloads, including Anduril’s edge processing system. At the time of its debut launch, Apex did not announce that it was hosting an Anduril payload. The mission also provided an opportunity to demonstrate Anduril’s Lattice command-and-control software, which was used to communicate with the spacecraft in orbit, Subramanian said.
Anduril plans to launch a self-funded mission in 2025 using Apex’s Aries bus to host data processing and infrared imaging.
Subramanian said the company’s focus is on military and intelligence applications.
Apex CEO and co-founder Ian Cinnamon said companies like Anduril are choosing to buy satellite buses from third-party suppliers rather than building them in-house.
“In the past, companies were often forced to vertically integrate due to a lack of quality options,” says Cinnamon. “Companies can now purchase buses at the speed the market demands.”
