--- title: "Startup Says It’s Launching a Test Weapon Into Orbit" description: "Los Angeles-based startup Apex wants to launch \"space-based interceptors\" that can destroy missiles from orbit for the Space Force." date: "2025-10-26" modified: "2025-10-26" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/robots-and-machines/startup-launching-weapon-orbit" categories: - "Military" - "Robots and Machines" - "Science & Energy" - "Space" - "Space Force" --- # Startup Says It’s Launching a Test Weapon Into Orbit ![Los Angeles-based startup Apex wants to launch "space-based interceptors" that can destroy missiles from orbit for the Space Force.]() *Apex* Last month, the Department of Defense announced it was [requesting proposals]() from the private industry for prototypes of space-based interceptors (SBIs), which are orbital weapon systems designed to intercept missiles. The request, [largely seen]() as being part of the Trump administration's proposed Golden Dome missile shield, has already drawn the attention of numerous contractors that want to develop such interceptors. One of these companies, Los Angeles-based startup Apex, has been working on the mass production of satellite buses that can be integrated with customer payloads, as [*Ars Technica* reports](). The company launched its first satellite last year and secured a $46 million Space Force contract in February to deliver an unspecified number of satellites over the next six years. This week, the company announced "Project Shadow," which it claims is "America’s first commercially-led, on-orbit space-based interceptor demonstration." The company is aiming to send a pair of interceptors "on one of Apex’s commercial off-the-shelf satellite platforms" as soon as June 2026. After deployment, the goal is to "environmentally control the interceptors" and even "issue a fire control command." "Apex is built to move fast, and that is exactly what America and our allies need to ensure we win the New Space Race," said CEO Ian Cinnamon in a [statement](). "In under a year, we are launching the host platform for space-based interceptors, called an Orbital Magazine, which will deploy multiple prototype missile interceptors in orbit." Cinnamon was upfront about his company's willingness to play ball with the Trump administration's unusual approach to working with the private industry. "Apex isn’t waiting for handouts or contracts; we are developing this Orbital Magazine technology on our own dime and moving incredibly fast," he added. The goal, he said, is to deploy two interceptors to demonstrate the "core capabilities of the Orbital Magazine — an advanced host platform purpose-built to support next-generation space defense missions." "Beyond communications, the Orbital Magazine will serve as a life-sustaining platform for the interceptors — providing essential power, heat, and environmental support," the company wrote in its statement. For now, plenty of questions remain surrounding the Trump administration's Golden Dome. According to the president, the defense shield [will cost $175 billion over the next three years](), drawing skepticism from experts. Last month, [*Bloomberg* reported]() that the price for the project could be [far higher](), with American Enterprise Institute analysts pegging the system somewhere [between $252 billion and $3.6 trillion]() over the next 20 years. Regardless of the dome's price tag, Cinnamon remains adamant that the tech behind SBIs is feasible. "All of the pieces that are required to make it viable exist," he told *Ars*. "We have satellites, we have boosters, we have seekers, we have fire control, we have IFTUs (in-flight target updates), we have inter-satellite links." However, Cinnamon conceded that combining these various parts is "really, really difficult." The goal is to eventually carry payloads of up to 11,000 pounds, "allowing thousands of SBIs to be staged in orbit," according to the company. Apex isn't the only contractor vying for an interceptor contract with the Pentagon. According to *Ars*, Lockheed Martin is also working on the tech, planning a "demonstration by 2028," CEO James Taiclet [announced]() during a earnings call this week. "We are building prototypes — full operational prototypes, not things in labs, not stuff on test stands, things that will go into space, or in the air, or fly across a missile range," he added. "These are real devices that will work and that can be produced at scale. So the space-based interceptor is one we’ve been pursuing already, and that’s all I can say about that." A second major military contractor, Northrop Grumman, has also indicated it's carrying out similar tests — meaning Apex will be competing with the big dogs. **More on Golden Dome:** [*Trump's $175 Billion Golden Dome is Turning Into a Disaster*]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()