# Apex (satellite buses): orbital data center program

> United States (United States), supplier. Stage 1 of 7: Concept. It was chosen on 2026-06-23 to host Sophia Space's 2027 compute demo; its high-power buses are planned.

- Canonical page: https://spacenexus.us/orbital-data-centers/apex-space
- This Markdown version: https://spacenexus.us/orbital-data-centers/apex-space.md
- Data as of: 2026-10-05 (last evidence review)
- How the numbers are made: https://spacenexus.us/orbital-data-centers#method

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## Stage evidence

- It was chosen on 2026-06-23 to host Sophia Space's 2027 compute demo; its high-power buses are planned. Sources: [PR Newswire](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sophia-space-selects-apex-to-power-realtime-computing-in-orbit-302806905.html)

## Approach

- Orbit: LEO
- Architecture: Bus supplier: Nova bus for Sophia Space's 2027 demo; Comet Mini (about 20 kW) and Comet XL (reported up to 100 kW) aimed at orbital compute
- Power: Comet Mini about 20 kW (planned)
- Cooling: Customer (Sophia TILE passive)
- Compute: Customer payloads
- Customers: Sophia Space

## Milestones

| Date | Status | Confidence | Milestone | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-04 | achieved | Reported | Comet Mini and Comet XL high-power buses introduced for orbital compute. Comet Mini about 20 kW; Comet XL reported up to 100 kW. | [Orbital Today](https://orbitaltoday.com/2026/04/11/apex-targets-missile-defence-and-orbital-compute-with-new-satellite-platforms/) |
| 2026-06-23 | achieved | Confirmed | Selected by Sophia Space as bus supplier (Nova) | [PR Newswire](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sophia-space-selects-apex-to-power-realtime-computing-in-orbit-302806905.html) |

## Announced next steps (as the organisation stated them)

- 2027: Sophia Space TILE demo on an Apex Nova bus. Sources: [Aviation Week](https://aviationweek.com/space/commercial-space/sophia-space-test-orbital-data-center-tech-apex-sat-2027)

## What to watch (SpaceNexus note, not a prediction)

The 2027 Sophia demo.

## Cautions

- Comet XL 100 kW figure is single-source.

## Sources

- [PR Newswire](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sophia-space-selects-apex-to-power-realtime-computing-in-orbit-302806905.html)
- [Orbital Today](https://orbitaltoday.com/2026/04/11/apex-targets-missile-defence-and-orbital-compute-with-new-satellite-platforms/)
- [Aviation Week](https://aviationweek.com/space/commercial-space/sophia-space-test-orbital-data-center-tech-apex-sat-2027)

## Licence and credits

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