Apex Plans to Introduce Commercial Interceptor Demonstration Next Year

Apex Space announced today that it plans to launch a commercially-developed space-based interceptor demo dubbed Project Shadow. 

The mission, which is attempting to prove out tech for the government using private capital, is expected to launch in June. Project Shadow will see Apex attempt to conduct an in-space intercept demo—though the demo is designed to not hit a target, to avoid geopolitical risk and orbital debris, Apex CEO Ian Cinnamon told Payload.

“We’re doing this on our own dime,” he said. “We are just trying to do our part, and then if we do a good job here, we hope that great folks who make interceptors will want to work with us and partner with us—and we can help supply their constellations. But we are really doing it because we believe it’s the right thing to do.” 

Origin story: Cinnamon said his company started pursuing Project Shadow after reading the “Iron Dome for America” executive order, which President Donald Trump signed in January. Though the program directly responds to the White House’s call for a missile defense system—which became known as Golden Dome—Cinnamon said he sees customers for the tech beyond the US government.

“Right now, obviously, Golden Dome is the largest program out there…so of course that’s a key part of it, but we see this as a key technology that needs to exist, both for the US and our allies,” he told Payload. 

Mega bucks: Apex has made headlines this year for closing two $200M funding rounds in back to back quarters—something Cinnamon said was helped by investors seeing a benefit to Project Shadow.

“The excitement around Apex being able to use its own internal funding, to go do a program like this, is definitely something that investors feel like is a key thesis on what differentiates Apex,” he said.  

Not going it alone: Cinnamon said Apex is working with suppliers and partners on Project Shadow, but declined to name them at this time.