York Drops Protest of Apex’s SBIR Award (Image Credit: Payload)
York ended its protest of a SBIR contract awarded to Apex Space last week.
York filed a motion asking to dismiss its protest on Jan. 28—one day before going public on the NYSE. Judge Loren Smith accepted the motion, formally dismissing the case on Jan. 30 “with prejudice,” meaning it can’t be brought back to court.
Flashback: York filed the complaint in June in the US Court of Federal Claims, arguing that it should have been able to compete for an SSC $45.9M Phase II SBIR contract to build multiple multi-orbit sats. In February 2025, the contract was awarded to Apex Space, which continued work on the contract during the legal proceedings.
York alleged that the contract was “an improper use of the SBIR program,” claiming that it was not awarded to develop new technology, and that the contract violated recent Trump administration orders to rely on open competitions when tech is available commercially.
From the parties: York and Apex both responded to the end of the lawsuit—and the shared takeaway is that both sides are eager to move past the legal challenge.
- From a York spokesperson: “York elected to prioritize continued execution and future competition to serve the mission. We believe strongly in American competition to drive innovation, cost discipline, and technological advancement, and we remain confident in York’s ability to compete and win by delivering proven, operational capability on orbit.”
- From Apex CEO Ian Cinnamon: “Apex appreciates the resolution of this matter and is pleased to continue moving forward without distraction. We remain focused on delivering innovative, high‑performance satellite platforms for our customers.”
