NextGen Defense · Jul 2026
Describes APOLLO’s claimed 60,000-foot operation, 7,500-square-kilometer coverage, 5–10 ms latency, weeks-long endurance, and testing at several U.S. military ranges.
Company research
Public company, workplace, funding, and market signals
Updated Aug 2, 2026
Overview
Icarus (icarus.one), formerly associated with the One Kappa name, is a privately held aerospace/defense startup founded in 2023. It is developing persistent, solar-powered unmanned aircraft for stratospheric intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), communications relay, and data backhaul. Its stated thesis is that the stratosphere offers satellite-like persistence with lower latency, faster deployment, and lower cost. Public evidence is somewhat inconsistent on headcount and financing; the most reliable current signals indicate a rapidly scaling company of roughly 27–50 people and $500,000 of disclosed venture funding, plus non-dilutive Army/xTech/SBIR support. [Icarus official site] [YC] [DVIDS]
Primary product
APOLLO: a solar-powered, autonomous, high-altitude aircraft intended to operate above 60,000 feet for weeks at a time. Icarus markets it for persistent ISR, secure direct-to-device connectivity, communications relay, and data backhaul; the company claims deployment in hours, coverage of more than 1,000 square miles, and 5–10 ms latency. [Icarus official site]
Founded
2023
Headquarters
El Segundo, California, United States (the company describes its Los Angeles headquarters/factory as its engineering, manufacturing, and business center).