Aries Spacecraft First Flight Manifested on SpaceX Transporter-10 Mission

The Aries spacecraft, the flagship product for Los Angeles-based spacecraft mass manufacturing company Apex, will fly for the first time on the SpaceX Transporter-10 mission, which is targeted for no earlier than January 2024.

Apex manufactures spacecraft for both commercial and government customers. The Aries satellite bus is a 227 pound spacecraft platform capable of holding a customer payload as large as 207 pounds. Apex sells the Aries platform to companies operating in low earth orbit, flying payloads for a wide variety of missions, ranging from earth imaging to communications. These payloads, which range from earth observation cameras to next generation communications, require spacecraft platforms, known as satellite buses, to operate. Satellite buses contain all of the subsystems needed for space operations: flight computer, navigation, power, propulsion, de-orbit capabilities, and more.

The Aries platform is available off the shelf or can be configured to meet specific mission requirements.

Aries Spacecraft First Mission named "Call to Adventure"

This first mission, named “Call to Adventure”, involves the Aries spacecraft 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.

(Source: Apex news release. Images provided and from file)