When Apex’s first satellite was able to communicate successfully with earthbound operators after launch, it was tangible proof that Nicolas Gutierrez had accomplished his mission.
As the lead comms engineer at Apex Space, Gutierrez played a crucial role in the startup’s first mission aboard Transporter-10 in March. The 28-year-old told Payload that receiving the first signals back from the sat was a career highlight.
“That was the first evidence that the stuff I had directly worked on was working,” he said. “Without the comms system, you don’t know anything about the satellite.”
Path to Apex: Gutierrez began his career in the space industry as an engineer at SpaceX, designing the RF comms systems on Falcon 9 and Dragon 2. He went on to work for defense startup Epirus as a principal investigator but found himself missing space, which brought him to Apex in 2023.
“Nick led the communications team at Apex, helping the company set a record of fastest production spacecraft to orbit from clean sheet design,” Apex CEO Ian Cinnamon wrote in his nomination. “If it wasn’t for Nick’s skill and expertise, Apex would not have been able to accomplish our record-setting flight.”
Helping hand: Gutierrez attended conferences hosted by the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers as an undergrad, and now he actively participates on the industry side, helping those who are looking for jobs in the industry or seeking resume advice, in a bid to boost diversity in the space community.
“Being able to talk to someone from your background brings down a big wall,” he said. “Going in knowing you have this one connection makes things a lot less stressful.”
He also returns to his elementary school each year for its career day to talk with third graders and get them excited for space. The highest praise he’s heard: “If I don’t become a professional athlete, I want to be a software engineer.”
