SPACE INDEX COMPANIES INSIGHTS SECTORS PRODUCTS NEWS BLOG ANSWERS RESEARCH ABOUT FOR COMPANIES BUILD / 2026.06.03
Apex logo Apex Designs and mass-manufactures standardized satellite bus platforms for commercial and government constellation deployments across LEO, MEO, and GEO orbits. vs AST SpaceMobile Operates a space-based cellular broadband network delivering 4G and 5G connectivity directly to standard smartphones via LEO satellites AST SpaceMobile logo
HEAD-TO-HEAD1 shared sector
Apex AST SpaceMobile
Founded 2022 2017
Headquarters Los Angeles, California, USA Midland, Texas, USA
Type private public
Status operating operating
Employees 234 613
Total funding $522M
Latest round Series D
Sectors Satellite Manufacturing, Satellite Components & Subsystems Satellite Communications, Ground Segment & Networks, Satellite Manufacturing
Products listed 3 5
Federal contracts 1 ($22.0M)
Launches
Leaders listed Ian Cinnamon, Max Benassi, Adam Corey Abel Avellan, Scott Wisniewski, Andrew Johnson
News mentions 0 1
SHARED SECTORS
FREQUENTLY ASKED

How do Apex and AST SpaceMobile compare?

Both companies work in Satellite Manufacturing. Apex was founded in 2022 and AST SpaceMobile in 2017.

Which is larger, Apex or AST SpaceMobile?

AST SpaceMobile reports the larger workforce, with 613 employees versus 234.

Which has more US federal contracts, Apex or AST SpaceMobile?

Apex has been awarded more, with $22.0M across 1 awards.

Numbers refresh on every render against the live Space Index database. Federal contract data from USAspending.gov; launches from LaunchLibrary2.