10-Q: AST SpaceMobile Reports Q2 2024 Results, Highlights Progress in Satellite Development and Commercialization
Summary
- AST SpaceMobile reported a net loss attributable to common stockholders of $72.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2024, and $92.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2024.
- The company recognized $0.9 million in revenue for the three months ended June 30, 2024, and $1.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2024, from a U.S. Government contract.
- Operating expenses totaled $63.9 million for the three months ended June 30, 2024, and $119.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2024.
- The company's cash and cash equivalents stood at $285.1 million as of June 30, 2024, compared to $85.6 million at the end of 2023.
- AST SpaceMobile completed the final assembly, integration, and testing of five Block 1 BlueBird satellites, which are awaiting launch in September 2024.
- The company has secured agreements and placed orders for components and subsystems for Block 2 BB satellites and has commenced manufacturing.
- The company estimates needing to raise between $275 million and $325 million to fund the design, assembly, and launch of 20 Block 2 BB satellites and operate a constellation of 25 BB satellites.
Sentiment
Score: 5
Explanation: The document presents a mixed picture. While there is significant progress in satellite development and commercial agreements, the substantial net losses and the need for further capital raises temper the positive aspects. The legal proceedings also add a layer of uncertainty.
Positives
- The company has secured significant commercial agreements with major telecommunications providers such as AT&T and Verizon.
- The company has made substantial progress in satellite development, with the completion of five Block 1 BB satellites and the commencement of manufacturing for Block 2 BB satellites.
- The company has successfully raised capital through various means, including convertible notes and equity offerings, significantly increasing its cash position.
- The company has a diverse intellectual property portfolio with over 3,400 patent and patent pending claims worldwide.
- The company is vertically integrated for manufacturing of satellite components and subsystems, reducing dependency on suppliers.
Negatives
- The company reported a significant net loss of $72.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2024, and $92.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2024.
- The company has incurred substantial operating expenses, totaling $63.9 million for the three months ended June 30, 2024, and $119.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2024.
- The company experienced a loss of $66.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2024, and $47.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2024, due to the remeasurement of warrant liabilities.
- The company is still in the pre-revenue stage for its core SpaceMobile Service, with revenue primarily coming from a U.S. Government contract.
- The company is subject to various legal proceedings, including class action lawsuits, which could have a material adverse effect on its financial statements.
Risks
- The company's future success depends on its ability to successfully launch and operate its satellite constellation, which is subject to numerous uncertainties.
- The company's ability to raise additional capital is crucial for its continued operations and expansion, and there is no guarantee that such capital will be available on favorable terms or at all.
- The company is subject to various legal proceedings, including class action lawsuits, which could have a material adverse effect on its financial statements.
- The company's operations are subject to macroeconomic conditions, including inflation, supply chain challenges, and geopolitical conflicts, which could adversely affect its financial condition.
- The company's technology is complex and subject to potential delays, design issues, or other unforeseen matters.
Future Outlook
The company plans to initiate a limited, noncontinuous SpaceMobile Service in targeted geographical areas following the launch of five Block 1 BB satellites. The company also plans to continue the development and testing of the next generation of commercial BB satellites (Block 2 BB satellites). The company estimates needing to raise between $275 million and $325 million to fund the design, assembly, and launch of 20 Block 2 BB satellites and operate a constellation of 25 BB satellites.
Management Comments
- The company intends to continue testing capabilities of the BW3 test satellite, including further testing with cellular service providers and the government.
- The company believes it will benefit from the skills, technological expertise, and manufacturing know-how derived from the assembly and testing of our Block 1 BB satellite in the development and assembly of our Block 2 BB satellites.
- The company plans to achieve service in the selected, targeted geographical areas with the launch and operation of 25 BB satellites and achieve substantial service in all targeted geographical areas to meet our long term business goals with the launch and operation of approximately 95 BB satellites.
Industry Context
This announcement comes as the satellite communications industry is experiencing increased interest in direct-to-device connectivity. AST SpaceMobile's progress in satellite development and commercial agreements positions it as a key player in this emerging market. The company's focus on providing connectivity directly to unmodified smartphones aligns with the industry trend of integrating satellite and terrestrial networks.
Comparison to Industry Standards
- AST SpaceMobile's approach of using low band and middle band spectrum controlled by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) is similar to other companies in the direct-to-device satellite communication space, such as Lynk Global and Starlink, but with a focus on integration with existing MNO infrastructure.
- The company's claim of achieving repeated successful 4G download speeds of above 10 Mbps and 5G download speeds of approximately 14 Mbps to standard unmodified smartphones using the BW3 test satellite is comparable to the performance of other LEO satellite communication systems.
- The company's plan to launch and operate 25 BB satellites to provide coverage to the most commercially attractive MNO markets is a phased approach that is similar to other satellite companies that are deploying their constellations in stages.
- The company's vertical integration for manufacturing of satellite components and subsystems is a strategy that is not commonly seen in the industry, which may provide a competitive advantage in terms of cost and supply chain control.
Stakeholder Impact
- Shareholders are impacted by the company's net losses and the potential dilution from future capital raises.
- Employees are impacted by the company's financial performance and the potential for changes in operations.
- Customers (MNOs) are impacted by the company's progress in satellite development and the potential for future commercial agreements.
- Suppliers are impacted by the company's procurement of satellite components and subsystems.
- Creditors are impacted by the company's debt obligations and its ability to meet its financial commitments.
Next Steps
- The company plans to launch five Block 1 BB satellites in September 2024.
- The company plans to initiate a limited, noncontinuous SpaceMobile Service in targeted geographical areas following the launch of the Block 1 BB satellites.
- The company plans to continue the development and testing of the next generation of commercial BB satellites (Block 2 BB satellites).
- The company plans to seek additional regulatory approvals for its SpaceMobile Service.
- The company plans to enter into commercial agreements with MNOs relating to the offering of its SpaceMobile Service.
Legal Proceedings
- The company is subject to various legal proceedings and claims that have arisen in the ordinary course of business.
- Two stockholders filed putative class action complaints in the Delaware Court of Chancery against the company, certain current and former directors and officers of the company and its predecessor entity and manager, New Providence Acquisition Corp. and New Providence Management LLC, and Abel Avellan, alleging claims of breach of fiduciary duties, aiding and abetting such breaches, and unjust enrichment, relating to the de-SPAC merger.
- The company and certain of its current executive officers have been named as defendants in a putative stockholder class action lawsuit pending in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, alleging violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
- The company has been named as a nominal defendant and certain of its current and former executive officers and directors have been named as defendants in a derivative lawsuit pending in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, asserting claims for breach of fiduciary duty, abuse of control, gross mismanagement, waste of corporate assets, and violations of the Exchange Act.
Related Party Transactions
- The company has entered into commercial agreements and investment agreements with Vodafone, American Tower, Rakuten, and Invesat, which are considered related parties due to board representation or significant ownership.
- On March 4, 2024, the company and Invesat LLC completed a series of transactions resulting in the acquisition by Antares Technologies LLC of 10,445,200 shares of the company's Class A Common Stock.
Key Dates
- 2020-02-04: AST LLC entered into a commercial agreement with Rakuten.
- 2021-04-06: The company completed a business combination with AST & Science, LLC.
- 2022-05-06: The company entered into a Common Stock Purchase Agreement with B. Riley Principal Capital, LLC.
- 2022-09-08: The company entered into an Equity Distribution Agreement with Evercore Group L.L.C. and B. Riley Securities, Inc.
- 2022-09-10: The company launched its BlueWalker 3 (BW3) test satellite.
- 2022-11-14: The company announced the completion of the deployment of the communication phased array antenna of the BW3 test satellite in orbit.
- 2023-04-25: The company announced that it had successfully completed two-way voice calls directly to standard unmodified smartphones using the BW3 test satellite.
- 2023-06-21: The company announced that it had achieved repeated successful 4G download speeds of above 10 megabits per second (Mbps) to standard unmodified smartphones using the BW3 test satellite.
- 2023-08-14: The company entered into a senior secured term loan credit agreement with ACP Post Oak Credit II LLC and a loan agreement with Lone Star.
- 2023-09-19: The company announced it had achieved repeated successful two-way voice calls directly to standard unmodified smartphones using 5G connectivity and successful download speeds of approximately 14 Mbps utilizing 5 megahertz (Mhz) of low band spectrum via the BW3 test satellite.
- 2024-01-16: The company issued subordinated convertible notes for an aggregate principal amount of $110.0 million to AT&T, Google, and Vodafone.
- 2024-01-23: The company issued 32,258,064 shares of Class A Common Stock in a public offering.
- 2024-01-29: The offering of the Option Shares closed for proceeds of $14.1 million.
- 2024-03-04: The company and Invesat LLC completed a series of transactions resulting in the acquisition by Antares Technologies LLC of 10,445,200 shares of the company's Class A Common Stock.
- 2024-05-10: AST LLC and AT&T Services entered into a space-based wireless connectivity agreement.
- 2024-05-23: The company and Verizon Communications, Inc. entered into a Convertible Note and Memorandum of Understanding for an investment and commercial prepayment commitment totaling $100.0 million.
- 2024-06-30: The company elected to pay interest on the Convertible Notes in kind, increasing the principal amount by approximately $3.0 million.
- 2024-08-01: The Common Stock Purchase Agreement with B. Riley expired.
- 2024-08-14: Date of the quarterly report.
- 2024-09-09: Deadline for Lead Plaintiff to file his consolidated amended complaint in the Securities Class Action.
- 2024-09-30: Deadline for the defendants to move to dismiss, answer, or otherwise respond to the complaint in the Derivative Action.
- 2024-11-08: Deadline for defendants to move to dismiss, answer, or otherwise respond to the consolidated amended complaint in the Securities Class Action.
- 2025-01-16: Earliest date the holders of the Convertible Notes may convert the notes.
Keywords
Filings with Classifications
8-K Filing
- AST SpaceMobile has entered into an Equity Distribution Agreement to sell up to $500 million of its Class A common stock.
- The shares will be sold through an at-the-market offering program.
- The company intends to use the proceeds for general corporate purposes.
Quarterly Report
- The net loss attributable to common stockholders increased significantly compared to the same period last year.
- Engineering services costs, general and administrative costs, and research and development costs all increased compared to the same period last year.
Quarterly Report
- The company issued $460.0 million aggregate principal amount of convertible senior notes due 2032.
- The company entered into an Equity Distribution Agreement to sell shares of Class A Common Stock having an aggregate sale price of up to $400.0 million through an at the market offering program.
- The company plans to raise additional capital through the issuance of equity, equity-linked or debt securities (secured or unsecured), secured or unsecured loans or other debt facilities, and credit from government or financial institutions or commercial partners.
Quarterly Report
- The company is ahead of schedule with satellite manufacturing and launch plans.
- The company has secured contracts with the U.S. Space Development Agency and the Defense Innovation Unit.
- The company has secured initial clearances for quasi-governmental funding with EXIM and IFC for over $500.0 million in potential new non-dilutive capital.
Annual Report
- The company intends to seek to raise additional capital to fund the design, assembly and launch of its constellation and operation of the commercial services through the issuance of equity, equity-linked or debt securities (secured or unsecured), secured or unsecured loans or other debt facilities, and credit from government or financial institutions or commercial partners, including through its existing 2024 ATM Equity Program.
Annual Report
- The timing of shipment of the first Block 2 BB satellite is contingent on a number of factors including satisfactory and timely completion of the assembly and testing of the Block 2 BB satellite, regulatory approvals for the launch, readiness of the launch vehicle, logistics and other factors, many of which are beyond our control.
Annual Report
- The company reported a net loss of $300.1 million, significantly worse than the previous year.
Beneficial Ownership Disclosure
- The document details a Convertible Security Investment Agreement dated January 16, 2024, where AT&T Investments purchased a subordinated convertible note from AST SpaceMobile, Inc. for a principal amount of $35.0 million. This note served as a capital raise for AST SpaceMobile.
Debt Offering Announcement
- AST SpaceMobile completed a private offering of $460 million aggregate principal amount of 4.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2032.
- The offering included the exercise in full of the initial purchasers option to purchase up to an additional $60 million principal amount of the Notes.
Ownership Disclosure Amendment
- The document indicates a dilution of ownership for existing shareholders due to the conversion of convertible notes, which is generally viewed negatively by the market.
Current Report
- AST SpaceMobile is proposing a private offering of $400.0 million aggregate principal amount of convertible senior notes due 2032.
- The company also intends to grant the initial purchasers of the notes in the offering an option to purchase up to an additional $60.0 million aggregate principal amount of notes.
- The company currently has approximately $66.0 million of availability remaining under its equity distribution agreement dated September 5, 2024 entered into with the agents named therein (the 2024 ATM equity program).
- The Company may seek to enter into a new equity ATM program in the future.
Strategic Collaboration Announcement
- AST SpaceMobile has secured a $550 million institutional financing commitment in the form of a non-recourse senior-secured delayed-draw term loan facility.
- The facility will be used to support payment obligations related to the AST Transaction.
Strategic Agreement Announcement
- AST SpaceMobile has received a $550 million institutional financing commitment to finance a planned wholly owned special-purpose vehicle (SPV).
- This financing is in the form of a non-recourse senior-secured delayed-draw term loan facility.
Quarterly Report
- The company established a new equity distribution agreement on September 5, 2024, allowing for the sale of up to $400 million of Class A common stock.
- The company plans to raise additional capital through the issuance of equity, equity-linked or debt securities, secured or unsecured loans or other debt facilities, and credit from government or financial institutions or commercial partners.
Quarterly Report
- The company's net loss attributable to common stockholders was significantly higher than the same period last year.
- The company incurred a substantial loss from the remeasurement of warrant liabilities.
Quarterly Report
- The company received $153.3 million in net proceeds from the redemption of publicly traded warrants.
- They are prioritizing raising strategic capital through non-dilutive approaches, including commercial prepayments and commitments from MNO partners.
- They have filed a formal application with the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) for debt financing.
Equity Offering Announcement
- AST SpaceMobile has entered into an Equity Distribution Agreement to sell up to $400 million of its Class A common stock through an at-the-market offering program.
- The company will sell shares through various sales agents over a period of up to three years.
- The offering is intended to provide the company with additional capital for general corporate purposes.
Business Update
- The exact timing of the orbital launch is subject to change based on various factors, including launch readiness and weather conditions.
Quarterly Report
- The company estimates needing to raise approximately $275.0 million to $325.0 million to fund operating expenses and capital expenditures necessary to design, assemble and launch 20 Block 2 BB satellites and operate a constellation of 25 BB satellites.
- The company plans to raise additional capital through the issuance of equity, equity-linked or debt securities (secured or unsecured), secured or unsecured loans or other debt facilities, and credit from government or financial institutions or commercial partners.
Quarterly Report
- The company's net loss of $72.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2024, and $92.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2024, is significantly higher than the previous year, indicating worse than expected financial performance.
- The company's loss on remeasurement of warrant liabilities of $66.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2024, and $47.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2024, is a significant negative impact on the company's financial results.
Quarterly Report
- Verizon has made a $100 million strategic investment, including $65 million in commercial prepayments and $35 million in convertible notes.
- The company has additional liquidity of $51.5 million available to draw under the Senior Secured Credit Facility, subject to certain conditions and approvals.
Definitive Proxy Statement
- The document mentions raising over $600.0 million of capital in the form of equity, convertible notes, and non-dilutive prepayments.
- Vodafone agreed to purchase our subordinated convertible notes for an aggregate principal amount of $25.0 million.
Capital Raise Announcement
- The company issued a $35 million subordinated convertible note to Verizon Ventures.
- This is part of a larger $100 million investment and prepayment commitment from Verizon.
Quarterly Report
- The company raised $110 million through convertible notes and $107.7 million from a common stock offering.
- The company estimates it will need to raise approximately $350.0 million to $400.0 million to fund operating expenses and capital expenditures necessary to design, assemble and launch 20 Block 2 BB satellites and operate a constellation of 25 BB satellites.
- The company plans to raise additional capital through the issuance of equity, equity-linked or debt securities, secured or unsecured loans or other debt facilities, and credit from government or financial institutions or commercial partners, including through its existing ATM Equity Program.
Quarterly Report
- The company's net loss increased compared to the same period last year, indicating that the company is not yet on a path to profitability.
Annual Results and Business Update
- Production of five 700 sq. ft. Block 1 BlueBird satellites was impacted by two suppliers, leading to delays in integration and testing.
Annual Results and Business Update
- The company reported a net loss of $87.561 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, which is worse than the $31.640 million loss in 2022.
- Total operating expenses increased significantly from $152.9 million in 2022 to $222.4 million in 2023.
Annual Results and Business Update
- The company is progressing non-dilutive quasi-governmental funding sources, with non-binding letters of interest from three institutions.
- AST SpaceMobile has additional liquidity of $51.5 million in gross proceeds available to draw under the Senior Secured Credit Facility, subject to certain conditions and approvals.
Annual Results
- The company reported a net loss attributable to common stockholders of $87.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, which is worse than the $31.6 million loss reported for the year ended December 31, 2022.
- The company has not generated any revenues from its SpaceMobile Service to date.
Annual Results
- The company anticipates needing to raise an additional $350 million to $400 million to fund operations and capital expenditures for 20 Block 2 BB satellites and operate a constellation of 25 BB satellites.
- The company plans to raise additional capital through the issuance of equity, equity-linked or debt securities, secured loan facilities, or through obtaining credit from government or financial institutions or commercial partners, including through our existing Equity Line of Credit and the ATM Equity Program.
Annual Results
- The completion of five Block 1 BB satellites has been delayed as compared to the target completion timeline due to a delay in the commencement of integration and testing of five Block 1 BB satellites.
- The failure by suppliers of two key subsystems to meet their contractual delivery timelines contributed to this delay.
Current Report
- The company closed an offering of 32,258,064 shares of Class A common stock.
- The underwriters exercised an option to purchase an additional 4,838,709 shares.
- The total net proceeds from the additional share offering were $14.1 million before expenses.
Capital Raise Announcement
- The company closed a share offering of 32,258,064 shares, raising $94 million before expenses.
- Underwriters have a 30-day option to purchase an additional 4,838,709 shares, potentially raising another $14.1 million before expenses.
Strategic Investment and Capital Raise Announcement
- The company's cash and cash equivalents decreased significantly from $239.3 million in 2022 to approximately $88.1 million in 2023.
- Total operating expenses increased from $152.9 million in 2022 to between $216.8 million and $222.5 million in 2023.
- The launch of the first five commercial BlueBird satellites has been delayed from the first quarter to the second quarter of 2024.
Strategic Investment and Capital Raise Announcement
- The dedicated orbital launch for five Block 1 BB satellites, initially scheduled for late in the first quarter of 2024, is now expected to occur in the second quarter of 2024.
Strategic Investment and Capital Raise Announcement
- The company plans to raise up to $306.5 million in gross proceeds through a combination of strategic investments, a credit facility draw, and a stock offering.
- The company is launching a registered offering of $100 million in Class A common stock.
- The company plans to seek a waiver to draw up to an additional $51.5 million under its senior-secured credit facility.
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