BlackSky Reports Third Quarter 2022 Results

Q3 Revenue up 113% Compared to Prior Year Quarter

Imagery and Software Analytical Services Revenue Grew to 89% of Total Revenue

Company Affirms Upper End of Full Year 2022 Revenue Guidance

HERNDON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BlackSky Technology Inc. (“BlackSky” or the “Company”) (NYSE: BKSY) announced results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2022.

Third Quarter Financial Highlights:

  • Revenue of $16.9 million, up 113% from the prior year period
  • Imagery & software analytical services revenue grew 130% over the prior year's quarter and to 89% of total revenues
  • Net loss of $13.0 million
  • Adjusted EBITDA(1) loss of $6.5 million
  • Cash balance(2) at the end of September 2022 was $90.7 million
  • Capital expenditures of $8.8 million

(1) Non-GAAP financial measure. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below and reconciliation table at the end of this release.

(2) Cash balance includes cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, and short-term investments.

“I’m pleased that Q3 was another strong quarter as we continued strong execution across all aspects of our business, building on the momentum from the first half of the year,” said Brian E. O’Toole, BlackSky CEO. “Third quarter revenue grew 113% year-over-year to $16.9 million, another quarterly revenue record driven by a full quarter of subscription imagery revenue under the EOCL contract with the National Reconnaissance Office. International revenues more than doubled over last year as we continue to benefit from investments in expanding our international sales team and strong global demand. With our expanding customer base, strong pipeline, and growing contracted backlog, we are looking forward to a strong finish to 2022 and carrying this momentum into 2023. Given our trajectory, we anticipate full year 2022 revenues to come in at the upper end of our guidance range.”

Recent Business Accomplishments

  • Successfully ramped up and achieved daily delivery rates of advanced imaging subscription services under the Electro Optical Commercial Layer (EOCL) contract with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), valued at up to $1 billion over the next 10 years
  • Won a $10 million, one-year follow-on subscription contract with an international ministry of defense customer in Asia to provide on-demand, high-frequency imagery services on a take or pay basis
  • Received multiple task order awards in the third quarter under our Economic Indicator Monitoring contract with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), resulting in $14 million in total orders received within the first year of the five-year, $30 million contract
  • First order for $1.7 million in imagery services under the Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition (CSDA) program with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
  • Recipient of the Pioneer in Space Business Award from Euroconsult, a leading global space and satellite consulting and market intelligence firm, recognizing BlackSky’s innovative contributions to the space industry

Financial Results

Revenues

Total revenue for the third quarter of 2022 was $16.9 million, up $9.0 million, or 113% from the third quarter of 2021. Imagery and software analytical services revenue was $15.0 million, up 130% over the prior year period primarily driven by increased demand from new and existing U.S. and international government customers. The mix of revenue from imagery and software analytical services grew to approximately 89% of total revenues. Engineering and systems integration revenue contributed $1.9 million in the third quarter of 2022.

Cost of Sales

Cost of sales as a percent of revenue was 46% for the third quarter of 2022, compared to 159% in the third quarter of 2021. For imagery and software analytical services, cost of sales as a percent of revenue was 35% in the third quarter of 2022, compared to 111% in the third quarter of 2021. The year-over-year improvement was primarily driven by greater volumes of imagery and analytical services revenue that inherently have a low fixed-cost structure as a percent of revenue and a decrease in stock-based compensation expense. Cost of sales excludes depreciation and amortization.

Operating Expenses

Operating expenses for the third quarter of 2022 were $28.5 million, which included $2.9 million of non-cash stock-based compensation expense, compared to operating expenses of $44.2 million in the third quarter of 2021, which included $25.6 million in non-cash stock-based compensation expense. Excluding stock-based compensation expense in both years, operating expenses increased to $25.6 million in the third quarter of 2022 from $18.6 million in the prior year quarter. The increase was primarily due to higher depreciation expense from additional satellites placed into orbit in the fourth quarter of 2021 and second quarter of 2022, as well as public company operating costs.

Operating Loss

Operating loss for the third quarter of 2022 was $19.4 million, compared to an operating loss of $48.9 million in the third quarter of 2021. The year-over-year improvement in operating loss was primarily due to a decrease in stock-based compensation expense and higher gross profit driven by increased imagery and software analytical services revenue, partially offset by higher depreciation expense.

Adjusted EBITDA (1)

Adjusted EBITDA loss for the third quarter of 2022 was $6.5 million, compared to an adjusted EBITDA loss of $16.3 million in the prior year period. The $9.8 million year-over-year improvement was primarily due to significant operating leverage achieved by increased revenue growth significantly exceeding incremental costs.

(1) Non-GAAP financial measure. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below and reconciliation table at the end of this release.

Balance Sheet & Capital Expenditures

As of September 30, 2022, cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, and short-term investments totaled $90.7 million. Capital expenditures for the third quarter of 2022 were $8.8 million and totaled $34.3 million for the nine months in 2022.

2022 Outlook

The Company is seeing strong global demand for its high-resolution imagery, dynamic monitoring, and AI-driven analytic solutions. As a result, the Company expects its full year 2022 revenue to achieve the upper end of the guidance range previously provided of between $62 million and $66 million. The Company continues to expect capital expenditures for the full year 2022 to be between $52 million and $56 million.

Investment Community Conference Call

BlackSky will host a conference call and webcast for the investment community this morning at 8:30 AM ET. Senior management will review the results, discuss BlackSky’s business, and answer questions. To access the live webcast or the archived webcast following completion of the call, please visit the Company’s investor relations website at http://ir.blacksky.com and then select “News & Events” for the link to the webcast. A presentation accompanying the webcast can also be found on the investor relations website. To access the conference call, participants should dial 1-877-589-7299 (domestic) or 1-201-689-8778 (international) at least ten minutes prior the start of the call. To listen to a replay of the conference call, please dial 1-877-660-6853 or 1-201-612-7415 using access code 13733375. The audio replay will be available from approximately 12:30 PM ET on November 8, 2022, through November 22, 2022.

About BlackSky Technology Inc.

BlackSky is a leading provider of real-time geospatial intelligence. BlackSky delivers on-demand, high frequency imagery, monitoring and analytics of the most critical and strategic locations, economic assets and events in the world.

BlackSky designs, owns and operates one of the industry’s leading low earth orbit small satellite constellations, optimized to capture imagery cost-efficiently where and when our customers need it. BlackSky’s Spectra AI software platform processes data from BlackSky’s constellation and from other third-party sensors to develop the critical insights and analytics that our customers require.

BlackSky is relied upon by U.S. and international government agencies, commercial businesses, and organizations around the world. BlackSky is headquartered in Herndon, VA, and is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange as BKSY. To learn more, visit www.blacksky.com and follow us on Twitter.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income or loss attributable to BlackSky before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, as well as significant non-cash and/or non-recurring expenses as management believes these items are not as useful in evaluating the Company’s core operating performance. These items include, but are not limited to, realized loss on conversion of bridge notes, stock-based compensation expense, unrealized (gain)/loss on certain warrants/shares classified as derivatives, satellite impairment loss, (gain)/loss on debt extinguishment, (gain)/loss from discontinued operations, severance, loss/(gain) on equity method investment, transaction related legal settlements, and transaction costs associated with derivative liabilities.

Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial performance measure. It should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to measures determined in accordance with GAAP. Please refer to the schedule herein and our SEC filings for a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to Net Loss, the most comparable measure reported in accordance with GAAP and for a discussion of the presentation, comparability, and use of Adjusted EBITDA.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements and other information included in this release constitute forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Words such as "may", "will", "could", "should", "would", "plan", "potential", "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "future", "opportunity", "will likely result", or "expect" and other words, terms, and phrases of similar meaning are often intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements involve estimates, expectations, projections, goals, forecasts, assumptions, risks, and uncertainties, as well as other statements referring to or including forward-looking information included in this release.

Forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or expectations expressed in this release. As a result, although BlackSky's management believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because BlackSky can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. The risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to, the risk factors and other disclosures about BlackSky and its business included in BlackSky's disclosure materials filed from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), which are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or on BlackSky's Investor Relations website at ir.blacksky.com.

The forward-looking statements contained in this release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. All such forward-looking statements are based upon data available as of the date of this release or other specified date and speak only as of such date. BlackSky disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements in this release as a result of new information or future events, except as may be required under applicable securities law.

BLACKSKY TECHNOLOGY INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

(unaudited)

(in thousands)

 

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

2022

 

2021

 

2022

 

2021

Revenue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Imagery & software analytical services

$

14,991

 

 

$

6,529

 

 

$

38,113

 

 

$

17,645

 

Engineering & systems integration

 

1,944

 

 

 

1,408

 

 

 

7,820

 

 

 

4,951

 

Total revenue

 

16,935

 

 

 

7,937

 

 

 

45,933

 

 

 

22,596

 

Imagery & software analytical service costs, excluding depreciation and amortization

 

5,251

 

 

 

7,266

 

 

 

16,508

 

 

 

15,816

 

Engineering & systems integration costs, excluding depreciation and amortization

 

2,536

 

 

 

5,387

 

 

 

12,020

 

 

 

8,754

 

Selling, general and administrative

 

18,713

 

 

 

40,674

 

 

 

58,988

 

 

 

57,979

 

Research and development

 

197

 

 

 

57

 

 

 

449

 

 

 

85

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

9,598

 

 

 

3,503

 

 

 

26,166

 

 

 

9,804

 

Satellite impairment loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

18,407

 

Operating loss

 

(19,360

)

 

 

(48,950

)

 

 

(68,198

)

 

 

(88,249

)

Gain (loss) on derivatives

 

7,135

 

 

 

3,813

 

 

 

10,629

 

 

 

(11,162

)

(Loss) income on equity method investment

 

(776

)

 

 

(170

)

 

 

694

 

 

 

793

 

Interest income

 

486

 

 

 

 

 

 

664

 

 

 

 

Interest expense

 

(1,226

)

 

 

(1,225

)

 

 

(3,756

)

 

 

(3,663

)

Other expense, net

 

(14

)

 

 

(365

)

 

 

(54

)

 

 

(147,735

)

Loss before income taxes

 

(13,755

)

 

 

(46,897

)

 

 

(60,021

)

 

 

(250,016

)

Income tax (expense) benefit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loss from continuing operations

 

(13,755

)

 

 

(46,897

)

 

 

(60,021

)

 

 

(250,016

)

Discontinued operations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gain (loss) from discontinued operations (including loss from disposal of Spaceflight Inc. of $707, $0, $707, and $(1,022) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively)

 

707

 

 

 

 

 

 

707

 

 

 

(1,022

)

Income tax (expense) benefit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gain (loss) from discontinued operations, net of income taxes

 

707

 

 

 

 

 

 

707

 

 

 

(1,022

)

Net loss

 

(13,048

)

 

 

(46,897

)

 

 

(59,314

)

 

 

(251,038

)

Other comprehensive income

 

 

 

 

541

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total comprehensive loss

$

(13,048

)

 

$

(46,356

)

 

$

(59,314

)

 

$

(251,038

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic and diluted loss per share of common stock:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loss from continuing operations

$

(0.12

)

 

$

(0.67

)

 

$

(0.51

)

 

$

(4.29

)

Gain (loss) from discontinued operations, net of income taxes

 

0.01

 

 

 

 

 

 

0.01

 

 

 

(0.02

)

Net loss per share of common stock

$

(0.11

)

 

$

(0.67

)

 

$

(0.50

)

 

$

(4.31

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average common shares outstanding - basic and diluted

 

118,582

 

 

 

69,975

 

 

 

117,403

 

 

 

58,297

 

 

BLACKSKY TECHNOLOGY INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(unaudited)

(in thousands, except par value)

 

 

September 30,

 

December 31,

 

2022

 

2021

Assets

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

$

37,201

 

 

$

165,586

 

Restricted cash

 

2,835

 

 

 

2,518

 

Short-term investments

 

50,699

 

 

 

 

Accounts receivable, net of allowance of $0 and $39, respectively

 

5,101

 

 

 

2,629

 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

5,487

 

 

 

6,264

 

Contract assets

 

5,915

 

 

 

1,678

 

Total current assets

 

107,238

 

 

 

178,675

 

Property and equipment - net

 

78,157

 

 

 

70,551

 

Goodwill

 

9,393

 

 

 

9,393

 

Investment in equity method investees

 

4,150

 

 

 

4,002

 

Intangible assets - net

 

2,058

 

 

 

2,480

 

Satellite procurement work in process

 

41,664

 

 

 

40,102

 

Other assets

 

1,675

 

 

 

560

 

Total assets

$

244,335

 

 

$

305,763

 

Liabilities and stockholders’ equity

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

$

14,579

 

 

$

10,837

 

Amounts payable to equity method investees

 

1,667

 

 

 

5,613

 

Contract liabilities - current

 

9,018

 

 

 

11,266

 

Other current liabilities

 

1,531

 

 

 

2,819

 

Total current liabilities

 

26,795

 

 

 

30,535

 

Liability for estimated contract losses

 

1,966

 

 

 

6,054

 

Long-term contract liabilities

 

42

 

 

 

568

 

Derivative liabilities

 

6,296

 

 

 

16,925

 

Long-term debt - net of current portion

 

72,956

 

 

 

71,408

 

Other liabilities

 

2,867

 

 

 

653

 

Total liabilities

 

110,922

 

 

 

126,143

 

Commitments and contingencies

 

 

 

Stockholders’ equity:

 

 

 

Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value-authorized, 300,000 shares; issued, 121,357 and 117,160 shares; outstanding, 118,906 shares and 114,452 shares as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively.

 

12

 

 

 

11

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

663,654

 

 

 

650,518

 

Accumulated deficit

 

(530,253

)

 

 

(470,909

)

Total stockholders’ equity

 

133,413

 

 

 

179,620

 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

$

244,335

 

 

$

305,763

 

 

 

 

 

BLACKSKY TECHNOLOGY INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(unaudited)

(in thousands)

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

2022

 

2021

Cash flows from operating activities:

 

 

 

Net loss

$

(59,314

)

 

$

(251,038

)

Gain (loss) from discontinued operations, net of income taxes

 

707

 

 

 

(1,022

)

Loss from continuing operations

 

(60,021

)

 

 

(250,016

)

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization expense

 

26,166

 

 

 

9,804

 

Bad debt expense

 

13

 

 

 

4

 

Stock-based compensation expense

 

16,389

 

 

 

29,265

 

Loss on issuance of 2021 convertible Bridge Notes

 

 

 

 

96,476

 

Loss on issuance of 2021 convertible Bridge Notes Rights Offering

 

 

 

 

3,193

 

Issuance costs for derivative liabilities and debt carried at fair value

 

 

 

 

48,009

 

Amortization of debt discount and issuance costs

 

1,549

 

 

 

1,311

 

Gain on equity method investment

 

(694

)

 

 

(793

)

Loss on disposal of property and equipment

 

 

 

 

24

 

(Gain) loss on derivatives

 

(10,629

)

 

 

11,162

 

Satellite impairment loss

 

 

 

 

18,407

 

Interest income

 

(373

)

 

 

 

Other, net

 

106

 

 

 

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

Accounts receivable

 

(2,485

)

 

 

(2,010

)

Contract assets

 

(4,237

)

 

 

1,487

 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

657

 

 

 

(4,428

)

Other assets

 

(1,335

)

 

 

(423

)

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

 

692

 

 

 

(15

)

Other current liabilities

 

(581

)

 

 

(2,195

)

Contract liabilities - current and long-term

 

(2,774

)

 

 

(1,960

)

Liability for estimated contract losses

 

(4,088

)

 

 

1,385

 

Other liabilities

 

2,216

 

 

 

2,496

 

Net cash used in operating activities

 

(39,429

)

 

 

(38,742

)

Cash flows from investing activities:

 

 

 

Purchase of property and equipment

 

(8,905

)

 

 

(532

)

Satellite procurement work in process

 

(25,421

)

 

 

(48,951

)

Purchase of short-term investments

 

(50,343

)

 

 

 

Purchase of domain name

 

 

 

 

(7

)

Proceeds from equity method investment

 

546

 

 

 

 

Net cash used in investing activities

 

(84,123

)

 

 

(49,490

)

Cash flows from financing activities:

 

 

 

Proceeds from issuance of debt

 

 

 

 

58,573

 

Proceeds from options exercised

 

37

 

 

 

100

 

Proceeds from warrants exercised

 

 

 

 

163

 

Debt payments

 

 

 

 

(22,198

)

Payments for deferred offering costs

 

 

 

 

 

Payments for debt issuance costs

 

 

 

 

(6,238

)

Withholding tax payments on vesting of restricted stock units

 

(4,551

)

 

 

 

Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities

 

(4,516

)

 

 

275,331

 

Net (decrease) increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash

 

(128,068

)

 

 

187,099

 

Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash – beginning of year

 

168,104

 

 

 

10,573

 

Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash – end of period

$

40,036

 

 

$

197,672

 

 

BLACKSKY TECHNOLOGY INC.

RECONCILIATION OF NET LOSS TO ADJUSTED EBITDA

(unaudited)

(in thousands)

 

 

Three Months Ended

September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended

September 30,

 

2022

 

2021

 

2022

 

2021

Net loss

$

(13,048

)

 

$

(46,897

)

 

$

(59,314

)

 

$

(251,038

)

Interest income

 

(486

)

 

 

 

 

 

(664

)

 

 

 

Interest expense

 

1,226

 

 

 

1,225

 

 

 

3,756

 

 

 

3,663

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

9,598

 

 

 

3,503

 

 

 

26,166

 

 

 

9,804

 

Loss on issuance of Bridge Notes, including debt issuance costs expensed for debt carried at fair value

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

147,387

 

Stock-based compensation expense

 

3,163

 

 

 

28,493

 

 

 

16,389

 

 

 

29,265

 

(Gain) loss on derivatives

 

(7,135

)

 

 

(3,813

)

 

 

(10,629

)

 

 

11,162

 

Satellite impairment loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

18,407

 

(Gain) loss from discontinued operations, net of income taxes

 

(707

)

 

 

 

 

 

(707

)

 

 

1,022

 

Severance

 

56

 

 

 

 

 

 

761

 

 

 

 

Loss (income) on equity method investment

 

776

 

 

 

170

 

 

 

(694

)

 

 

(793

)

Forgiveness of non-trade receivable

 

31

 

 

 

 

 

 

106

 

 

 

 

Contingent legal liability

 

 

 

 

700

 

 

 

 

 

 

700

 

Transaction costs associated with derivative liabilities

 

 

 

 

291

 

 

 

 

 

 

291

 

Loss on debt extinguishment

 

 

 

 

75

 

 

 

 

 

 

75

 

Adjusted EBITDA

$

(6,526

)

 

$

(16,253

)

 

$

(24,830

)

 

$

(30,055

)

 

Investor Contact
Aly Bonilla
VP, Investor Relations
abonilla@blacksky.com
571-591-2864

Media Contact
Pauly Cabellon
Director, External Communications
pcabellon@blacksky.com
571-591-2865

Source: BlackSky Technology Inc.