Apex Introduces GEO Aries, A Geostationary Satellite Bus

Satellite manufacturing startup Apex has announced a significant expansion of its product line with the introduction of the GEO Aries, a version of its Aries small satellite bus adapted for geostationary orbit (GEO) missions.

The development marks a strategic step for the Los Angeles-based company, as it seeks to capitalize on growing demand in both the commercial and government sectors.

The GEO Aries builds on the success of the original Aries bus, which first flew earlier this year in low Earth orbit (LEO). Apex has already sold nearly a dozen Aries spacecraft and, in the process, encountered substantial interest from customers looking to use the platform for GEO missions. These missions range from space domain awareness to highly specialized communications applications.

“We’re seeing a ton of demand from both the commercial and government sides...So, what we wanted to do was take as much as we could from the Aries vehicle and create GEO Aries.” - Ian Cinnamon, Apex's CEO

The new GEO Aries satellite bus, weighing 175 kilograms, features several key modifications to adapt it to the demands of geostationary orbit. These include upgrades to its communications, attitude control, and other systems. The bus is capable of carrying payloads of up to 120 kilograms and offers up to 800 meters per second of delta-v, or change in velocity.

Designed with a five-year lifespan, GEO Aries is compatible with GEO rideshare options and orbital transfer vehicles such as Impulse Space’s Helios and Blue Origin’s Blue Ring.

Apex has already secured its first sale of the GEO Aries to an undisclosed government customer, with delivery scheduled for mid-2026 and a launch planned by the end of that year. The company has set the price for the GEO Aries at $13.5 million.

The production of the GEO Aries will take place on the same assembly line as the LEO version at Apex's Factory One facility in Los Angeles. The factory, which the company is in the process of moving into, will also be used to manufacture larger satellite buses, including the Nova and Comet models that Apex is developing. These larger buses might eventually have GEO versions as well, according to Cinnamon.

The expansion into geostationary orbit comes on the heels of a successful $95 million Series B funding round in June, aimed at scaling up production of the Aries bus and advancing the development of the larger Nova and Comet models.

Despite the promising prospects for GEO missions, Apex has acknowledged that demand for the LEO version of Aries remains significantly higher—by about a factor of ten. However, due to the higher price point of the GEO version, the difference in dollar value is notably smaller, though still favoring the LEO market.

Looking ahead, Apex is keeping its focus on LEO and GEO missions, where it sees the most substantial demand. The company has also been approached by potential customers interested in using Aries for cislunar or deep-space missions.

“I think that cislunar and deep space are incredible opportunities in terms of the kind of science pushing it forward, but I am not yet convinced that there’s a massive commercial market for those yet,” - Ian Cinnamon, Apex's CEO

While the company remains concentrated on its LEO and GEO offerings for now, Apex is open to selling a GEO Aries to customers interested in cislunar or deep-space missions, allowing them to make the necessary modifications.

As Apex continues to innovate and expand its product line, the introduction of GEO Aries positions the company as a versatile player in the rapidly evolving satellite manufacturing industry, with the flexibility to meet diverse market demands across different orbital regimes.