SPACE NEWS:
Newer players in the space industry are running up against harsh      business realities.
Several space-related companies have been shedding employees, finding      other ways to reduce spending or have reined in their plans.
Planet Labs, which uses a fleet of satellites to capture images of      Earth and sells data and analytics based on the enterprise, said Tuesday      that it would cut 117 jobs, about 10% of its workforce.
The San Francisco-based      company earlier this summer lowered its revenue forecast for its current      fiscal year after bookings were lighter than expected, in part because      customers were scrutinizing their spending, executives told investors.      The layoffs aim to refocus Planet's operations and reinforce its push to      generate profit.
"We need to focus and execute," said Will Marshall,      chief executive at Planet Labs, in an email to employees the      company posted online.
The space industry ranges from satellite operators that peddle internet      connections to sprawling divisions of multibillion-dollar defense      contractors that vie for contracts with the National      Aeronautics and Space Administration. Two closely watched space      companies, Elon Musk's SpaceX      and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, are privately held. Both      are in expansion mode, as they develop rockets and start new divisions.
Like other startups, a number of space-related companies in recent years      tapped into an investor frenzy that allowed them to raise new capital by      merging with so-called blank-check companies. Some space-industry      executives have said the deals, which required less scrutiny than      traditional initial public offerings, allowed their companies to obtain      the capital they needed for growth.
Astra Space on Friday said it laid off around 70 employees, adding      to previous reductions. It also said it reassigned other staffers from a      group focused on rocket launches to support its spacecraft-engine      business.
The company, which failed last year to complete two launches for NASA,      estimated it had around $26 million in cash and      securities on hand as of June 30, down from $201      million the year prior. Astra said Friday that it was looking at      ways to raise more funds and that it had raised almost $11 million      from an outside investor.
Satellogic, another Earth imagery and data business, began cutting      18% of its employees in the third quarter last year, citing changes in      the global economy, according to a securities filing. It reduced head      count by another 8% at the start of this year.
It once hoped to have 111 satellites operational by the end of this year      but now won't meet that goal.
"There will be more pain ahead for many of these companies," according      to Mike Collett, founder of Promus Ventures,      which has invested in space-related companies.
Virgin Orbit, backed by billionaire Richard Branson,      went public through a blank-check merger at the end of 2021. The company      tried to build a business around using a modified 747 to ferry up a      launch vehicle that separated from the plane and rocketed small      satellites into orbit.
Before it listed, the company forecast $331 million in      revenue this year, and said that would roughly triple in 2024.
Virgin Orbit struggled to compete with rivals, including SpaceX.      A mission the company launched in January failed, and customer      satellites were lost. In March, Virgin Orbit said it would lay off 675      people, or most of its workforce, and filed for bankruptcy shortly      thereafter. It proceeded to liquidate its assets.
Rocket Lab USA, which also completed a listing in 2021,      capitalized on the demise of its onetime competitor by taking over      Virgin Orbit's former headquarters and factory in California.      The company conducts launches and has a division that sells space      systems, like a craft for satellites.
Last year, Rocket Lab generated $211 million      in revenue, ahead of a pre-listing forecast. An executive at the company      said at a recent investor event that getting to positive cash flow is      highly dependent on Neutron, the larger new rocket it is developing.