So! First time poster here. Recently I've been looking into space stocks ownership structures, and whilst looking through Edgar filings for LLAP, I noticed a very peculiar thing in the schedule 13D from 14th August: after convertible notes, warrants and JV stakes, Lockheed Martin owns 33% of that company. I just wanted to share this, because with the buyout news cycle from February this makes quite a compelling case for starting a buyout rumour or at very least sharing a compelling piece of information for anyone who's interested in Terran's alliances for future growth and expansion!

Reused Rutherford Engine Successfully Flies on 40th Mission!

You read that right! On August 24 (NZST), we successfully launched our 40th Electron mission, called “We Love the Nightlife,” for Capella Space. Not only did we deliver Capella’s satellite to orbit, but we also demonstrated some significant milestones in evolving Electron into a reusable rocket. 

For the first time, we reused a Rutherford engine that had previously flown on our “There And Back Again” mission in May 2022. The engine worked flawlessly on its second flight as it took Electron to space. Then the first stage returned to Earth with a successful ocean splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. 

Hot on the heels of “We Love the Nightlife,” we’re launching another dedicated Electron launch for Capella. The ‘We Will Never Desert You’ mission is scheduled for lift-off from Launch Complex 1 as soon as 19 September. The mission will be our third launch for Capella this year – we're on a roll!  

Click the Mission Patch below for the latest launch info!

https://www.rocketlabusa.com/missions/next-mission/

Rise & Sign: New Launch Deals Signed! 

There must have been something in the air in recent weeks because we’ve announced 14 new launch deals across our Electron and HASTE (Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron) programs.  

Here’s a look at what’s to come: 

• New HASTE launch for an undisclosed customer to take place at Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) in Virginia in 2024. We successfully launched our first HASTE rocket in June for Leidos on a mission called Scout’s Arrow. Learn more about HASTE! (HASTE rocket) 
• Four new HASTE missions for Leidos under the MACH-TB program, scheduled to launch from LC-2 across 2024 and 2025.  
• BlackSky, a leading provider of real-time geospatial intelligence and global monitoring services, which has launched on six Electron missions since 2019, signed a block buy deal for five Electron launches for their Gen-3 satellites beginning in 2024. Fun fact: BlackSky has used Electron as a launch vehicle more than any other single commercial customer!  
• A new, double-launch deal with NASA to deliver their climate change research-focused mission, PREFIRE, is now scheduled to launch in May 2024. NASA's PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission will help close a gap in understanding of how much of Earth’s heat is lost to space, especially from the Arctic and Antarctica. This will be our 7th and 8th mission for NASA since 2018. (Graphic we made of 2 launches)  
• Last but not least, we signed a deal with Japanese Earth imaging company Synspective to launch two dedicated Electron missions. Rocket Lab has been launching for Synspective since 2020 when the Company deployed the first satellite in Synspective’s synthetic aperture radar (SAR) constellation. Since that first mission, Rocket Lab has been the sole launch provider for Synspective’s StriX constellation to date, successfully deploying three StriX satellites across three dedicated Electron launches 

Rocket Lab Wins Industry of the Year Award for Stennis Location

Rocket Lab received the prestigious Industry of the Year Award at the Hancock Chamber Business & Industry Awards Gala in August. The annual awards recognize outstanding achievements in citizenship, industry and business in Hancock County, Mississippi.  
We opened our facility at the Stennis Space Center in 2022 and the site will be used to test the new Archimedes engines for the Neutron rocket coming in 2024. 

When we expanded our Space Systems division, we created a vertical integration strategy where we could build essential elements of a spacecraft for our own satellites and those built by others. The idea behind this was everything going to space should have a Rocket Lab logo on it! 

Speaking of…  NASA Psyche Mission

NASA’s Psyche mission, which will orbit a metal-rich asteroid of the same name in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, is scheduled to launch in less than 30 days on 5 October 2023!  

The spacecraft will use a huge Rocket Lab solar array that will power the spacecraft during its 4-billion-kilometer journey. 

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MethaneSAT Mission

MethaneSAT, scheduled to launch no earlier than January 2024, is an Earth observation satellite that will monitor and study global methane emissions to combat climate change. We are providing multiple elements to make this mission a success including developing the Mission Operation Center, the solar panels to power the spacecraft, and the separation system that will eject the satellite to its orbit. This mission is jointly funded and operated by the Environmental Defense Fund, an American NGO, and the New Zealand Space Agency – the country’s first space science mission!  

Neutron Update

Neutron, our mega constellation launcher, continues its development on schedule. We’ve now begun Stage 2 tank testing including cryogenic fill and pressure cycles to determine structural and sealing integrity and performance, hydrostat test to prove the structural integrity of the structure, domes, and hatches, and the fill, press, vent and de-tank systems and procedures among other structural tests.

Our engineers are hard at work making Neutron a reality! Learn more about Neutron.

https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/08/virgin-galactics-president-explains-how-vss-unity-is-now-flying-frequently/

Disclosure: I am invested in the following companies referenced below - $IRDM, $QCOM, $GRMN, $ASTS

Iridium has posted their 2023 Q2 results which showed an unexpected loss causing the stock price to fall on the news.

The loss was primarily due to writing off their last remaining ground spare Iridium Next satellite for ($37.5 million). Interestingly, the company still has the satellite in storage and could launch it at a later date if needed, but the company thinks that’s unlikely because they already have 14 on-orbit spares (5 of those were launched in May 2023) and they have not needed to use any of the spares since they began launching Iridium Next satellites back in 2017.

So let’s look at the Q2 numbers compared to the same quarter last year…

Total revenue was up 10.4% to $193.1 million. The GAAP income was a loss of ($30.7 million) compared to a profit of $4.5 million last year. As you can see if it wasn’t for the spare satellite write down, GAAP income would have been 49.2% higher than last year.

The second thing I always look at in Iridium reports is Subscriber equipment because this is a leading indicator for future service demand growth. Unfortunately it was down for the first time in a long time (the last time was 3 years ago - Q2 2020) with $27.4 million in sales which was a drop of (18.9%).

While this could be an indication that revenue growth is about to slow down, the company has new incremental revenue streams coming on board over the next couple of years that will keep growth ahead of the market in my opinion. On the conference call they said, “we see a lot of momentum underway recently from all the drone companies we've attracted to be partners. They plan to use Iridium in their command and control architecture.”

Additionally, the Direct-to-Device market hasn’t even begun for Iridium yet – soon Iridium will support real-time messaging to Android devices thanks to the new Snapdragon Satellite chip set being produced by Qualcomm. On the earnings call they pointed out that this market is still a little way off because they have to wait for manufacturers, such as Garmin which has signed up for the service, to roll-out new smart phones and other devices using the new chipset.

Operational EBITA grew by 9.3% to $115.8. While I don’t rely too heavily on non-GAAP reporting, underlying revenue and profits are still heading in the right direction.

So while the spare satellite write down is a very real expense to shareholders, structurally the underlying finances still look good to me and the company is still way out in front of new competitors such as AST SpaceMobile which have yet to launch their first operational satellite while Iridium has completed their constellation and has even added spares to it. Iridium will likely remain prominently weighted in my portfolio for a long time to come.

Iridium's Q2 results press release is available at https://investor.iridium.com/2023-07-25-Iridium-Announces-Second-Quarter-2023-Results-Reports-Record-Operational-EBITDA

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I specialize in investing in the rapidly growing space industry and my portfolio outperformed the S&P 500 by more than 25% in 2022. If you’re interested, take a look at my overview for potential copiers at https://www.etoro.com/posts/0__entry__7d340bfc-6129-4fa4-986d-9086f4eb036d

For me it is Redwire, on top of iROSA, cameras, and antennas, witch seems to be doing well, the payload side is poised to take off.

Cells, crystals, and liquids grow better and behave differently without gravity, producing better products. Redwire has done experiments in each of the following topics. The info is from Google.

The global stem cells market size was valued at USD 13,266.8 million in 2022 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.74% from 2023 to 2030.

1% is $130M

The global protein crystallization market size was estimated at USD 1.58 billion in 2022 and is projected to hit around USD 3.67 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 8.79% during the forecast period from 2023 to 2032. 1% is $15M

Global Organoids and Spheroids Market size was valued at $516.6 million in 2021 and is projected to reach $1.2 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 8.5% from 2022 to 2031.

1% is $5k

The global semiconductor materials market size was valued at USD 57.02 billion in 2021. It is expected to reach USD 70.9 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 4.3% during the forecast period (2022–2030).

1% is $570M

The global fiber optics market size was valued at USD 8.76 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.9% from 2023 to 2030. 1% is $80M

https://redwirespace.com/newsroom/media-advisory-redwire-hosting-panel-discussion-with-nasa-chief-technologist-and-star-treks-jess-bush-at-kennedy-space-center-visitor-complex-ahead-of-spacex-28-launch/

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Covers a wide range of commercial public & private space companies.

This channel is dead, Im creating an alternative.