WASHINGTON — Defense technology firm Anduril Industries selected Apex, a Los Angeles-based satellite manufacturing startup, to provide 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 business. The defense contractor recently announced plans to develop spacecraft for applications such as space domain awareness, on-orbit sensor data processing, and satellite defense.
Gokul Subramanian, senior vice president of space and engineering at Anduril, said Apex was chosen for its ability to rapidly deliver commoditized satellite buses, offering shorter production timelines than competitors.
“Anduril will leverage 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 inaugural mission in March, carrying multiple payloads, including Anduril’s edge-processing system. At the time of its debut launch, Apex it did not disclose 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 is planning to launch a self-funded mission in 2025 using Apex’s Aries bus to host data processing and infrared imaging payloads.
Subramanian said the company’s focus is on military and intelligence applications.
Apex CEO and co-founder Ian Cinnamon said companies like Anduril are opting to source satellite buses from third-party suppliers instead of building them in-house.
“In the past, firms were often forced to vertically integrate because of a lack of quality options,” Cinnamon said. “Now, companies can acquire buses at the speed the market demands.”