Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies |
9 Months Ended |
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Sep. 30, 2021 | |
| Accounting Policies [Abstract] | |
| Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | 2. Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Basis of Preparation
The Company has prepared its unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in accordance with General Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 8 of Regulation S-X of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the
Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. In addition, the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the Company’s proportionate share of the earnings or losses of its joint venture and a corresponding increase or decrease to its investment, with recorded losses limited to the carrying value of the Company’s investment. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated upon consolidation.
For accounting purposes, the Merger constituted a reverse recapitalization (the “Reverse Recapitalization”), with Osprey treated as the “acquired” company and Legacy BlackSky as the “acquirer”. The Reverse Recapitalization was treated as the equivalent of Legacy BlackSky issuing equity for the net assets of Osprey, accompanied by a recapitalization, rather than a business combination, which would include goodwill and intangible assets. Legacy BlackSky was considered the acquirer based on the facts and circumstances, including the following:
•Legacy BlackSky’s former stockholders hold a majority ownership interest in BlackSky;
•Legacy BlackSky’s existing senior management team comprise senior management of BlackSky;
•Legacy BlackSky was able to designate all but one director to BlackSky’s board prior to the registration on Form S-4 being declared effective;
•Legacy BlackSky is the larger of the companies based on historical operating activity and employee base; and
•Legacy BlackSky’s operations comprise the ongoing operations of BlackSky.
Accordingly, all historical financial information presented in these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements represents the accounts of Legacy BlackSky and its wholly owned subsidiaries “as if” Legacy BlackSky is the predecessor and legal successor. The historical operations of Legacy BlackSky are deemed to be those of the Company. Thus, the financial statements included in this report reflect (i) the historical operating results of Legacy BlackSky prior to the Merger; (ii) the combined results of Osprey and Legacy BlackSky following the Merger; (iii) the assets and liabilities of Legacy BlackSky at their historical carrying value; and (iv) the Company’s equity structure for all periods presented.
The Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a historical cost basis, except for certain financial assets and liabilities, including derivative financial instruments and certain outstanding debt, which are stated at fair value. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s annual consolidated financial statements and notes included in the Company’s registration statement on Form S-1 filed with the SEC on October 22, 2021. Unless otherwise indicated, amounts presented in the Notes pertain to the Company’s continuing operations (Note 8). In management’s opinion, all adjustments of a normal recurring nature that are necessary for a fair statement of the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been included.
Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an emerging growth company (“EGC”), as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “Jobs Act”). The JOBS Act permits companies with EGC status to take advantage of an extended transition period to comply with new or revised accounting standards, delaying the adoption of these accounting standards until they would apply to private companies. The Company has elected to use this extended transition period to enable it to defer the adoption of new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until the earlier of the date it (i) is no longer an emerging growth company or (ii) affirmatively and irrevocably opts out of the extended transition period provided for by the JOBS Act. As a result, the Company’s financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with the new or revised accounting standards as of public company effective dates.
In addition, the Company intends to rely on the other exemptions and reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if, as an EGC, the Company intends to rely on such exemptions, the Company is not required to, among other things: (i) provide an auditor’s attestation report on its system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; (ii) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies under the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act; (iii) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis); and (iv) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the Chief Executive Officer’s compensation to median employee compensation. Use of Estimates
The preparation of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingencies at the reporting date, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. These estimates are based on management’s best knowledge of current events and actions the Company may undertake in the future. Actual results could materially differ from these estimates. Significant estimates made by the Company relate to revenue and associated cost recognition, the collectability of accounts receivable, the recoverability and useful lives of property and equipment, the valuation of equity warrants and warrant liabilities, fair value estimates, the recoverability of goodwill and intangible assets, the provision for income taxes, and stock-based compensation.
Revenue Recognition
The Company generates revenues from the sale of imagery & software analytical services and engineering & systems integration. Imagery & software analytical services revenues include imagery, data, software, and analytics, including professional services. These revenues are recognized from the rendering of imagery & software analytical services under cost-plus-fixed-fee contracts, firm fixed price contracts, or on a time and materials basis. Engineering & systems integration revenues include engineering and integration from long-term construction contracts.
The Company adopted the provisions of the new revenue recognition standard, Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)” (“ASC 606”), for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2020 using the modified retrospective adoption method for the contracts that were not completed at the date of initial application. Concurrent with the adoption of the new standard, the Company has updated its revenue recognition policy in accordance with the five-step model set forth under ASC 606.
The Company generates revenues primarily through contracts with government agencies. Most of the contracts include multiple promises, which are generally separated as distinct performance obligations. The Company allocates the transaction price to each performance obligation based on the relative standalone selling prices using observable sales transactions where applicable.
Revenue is measured at the fair value of consideration received or receivable and net of discounts. The Company applies a policy election to exclude transaction taxes collected from customer sales when the tax is both imposed on and concurrent with a specific revenue-producing transaction. The Company estimates any variable consideration, and whether the transaction price is constrained, upon execution of each contract. The Company did not have any active contracts with significant variable consideration as of September 30, 2021.
The estimation of total revenue and costs at completion for fixed price projects is subject to many variables and requires judgment. The Company typically recognizes changes in contract estimates on a cumulative catch-up basis in the period in which the changes are identified. Such changes in contract estimates can result in the recognition of revenue in a current period for performance obligations which were satisfied or partially satisfied in a prior period. Changes in contract estimates may also result in the reversal of previously recognized revenue, if the current estimate differs from the previous estimate. If at any time, the estimate of profitability for a performance obligation indicates a probable anticipated loss, the Company recognizes the total loss for the performance obligation in the period it is identified. Changes in estimates related to contracts accounted for using the cost-to-cost measure of progress are recognized in the period in which such changes are made for the inception-to-date effect of the changes. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, the Company recognized a $1.6 million unfavorable impact to revenue attributable to changes in estimates for two engineering and systems integration contracts. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company’s change in estimate for a contract in a forward loss position accounted for using the cost-to-cost
measure increased $4.0 million and the remaining engineering & systems integration costs was $6.3 million. During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, there was no revenue recognized from performance obligations satisfied in previous periods.
Imagery & Software Analytical Services
Imagery
Imagery services include imagery delivered from the Company’s satellites in orbit via its Platform and in limited cases directly uploaded to certain customers. Imagery performance obligations are recognized as service revenues at the point-in-time when the Company delivers images to the Platform or, in limited circumstances, ratably over the subscription period when the customer has a right to access the Platform for unlimited images.
Data, Software, and Analytics
The Company leverages proprietary artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to analyze data coming from both the Company’s proprietary sensor network and third-party sources to provide hard-to-get data, insights, and analytics for customers. The Company continues to integrate and enhance its offerings by performing contract development, while retaining the intellectual property rights. The Company also provides technology enabled professional service solutions to support customer-specific software development requests, integration, testing, and training. The Company uses system engineers to support customer efforts to manage mass quantities of data. The Company also offers professional service solutions related to object detection, site monitoring, and enhanced analytics, through which the Company can detect key objects in critical locations such as ports, airports, and construction sites; monitor changes at, damages to or other anomalies in key infrastructure; and analyze stockpiles or other critical inventory.
Imagery & software analytical services revenues from data, software, and analytics contracts are recognized from the rendering of services over time on a cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm fixed price, or time and materials basis. For firm fixed price contracts, the Company recognizes revenue using a cost-to-cost measure of progress, pursuant to which the extent of progress towards completion is measured based on the ratio of costs incurred to date to the total estimated costs to complete the performance obligation (“EAC”). A performance obligation’s EAC includes all direct costs such as labor, materials, subcontract costs, overhead and an allocable portion of general and administrative costs. In addition, an EAC of a performance obligation includes future losses estimated to be incurred on contracts, as and when known. For contracts structured as cost-plus-fixed-fee or on a time and materials basis, the Company generally recognizes revenue based on the right-to-invoice practical expedient, as the Company is contractually able to invoice the customer based on the control transferred to the customer in an amount that corresponds directly with the value to the customer of the entity’s performance completed to date.
Engineering & Systems Integration
The Company develops and delivers advanced launch vehicle, satellite and payload systems for a limited number of customers that leverage the Company’s capabilities in mission systems engineering and operations, ground station operations, and software and systems development. These systems are sold to government customers under fixed price contracts. The Company generally recognizes revenue over time using the cost-to-cost method to measure progress, pursuant to which the extent of progress towards completion is measured based on the ratio of costs incurred to date to the total EAC.
Imagery & Software Analytical Service and Engineering & Systems Integration Costs
Imagery & software analytical service costs primarily include internal aerospace and geospatial software development labor, third-party data and imagery, internal labor to support the ground stations and space operations, and cloud computing and hosting services.
Engineering & systems integration costs primarily include the cost of internal labor for product design, integration and engineering in support of long-term development contracts for launch vehicle, satellite and payload systems. The Company also incurs subcontract direct materials and external labor costs to build and test specific components such as the communications system, payload demands and sensor integration. Costs are expensed as incurred except for incremental costs to obtain or fulfill a contract, which are capitalized and amortized on a systematic basis consistent with the transfer of goods and services. Fringe costs incurred within or allocated to the Company’s customers are classified as overhead (included in imagery & software analytical services and engineering & systems integration costs based on the nature of the contract). The Company does not have any contracts that are subject to U.S. Government Cost Accounting Standards.Stock-Based Compensation
Restricted Stock Awards and Restricted Stock Units
The estimated fair value of RSAs and RSUs are measured based on the grant date estimated fair value of Legacy BlackSky’s class A common stock. In order to determine the fair value of its class A common stock on the date of grant and prior to the Merger, Legacy BlackSky historically performed a valuation analysis using a combination of market and income approaches. Subsequent to the Merger, the Company uses the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) trading price as the fair value of the class A common stock for valuation purposes. For all awards for which vesting is only subject to a service condition, including those subject to graded vesting, the Company has elected to use the straight-line method to amortize the fair value as compensation cost over the requisite service period.
Certain of the Company’s outstanding RSUs had performance vesting conditions that were triggered upon the consummation of the Merger. Therefore, since the performance conditions attributable to these RSUs had been met, the Company commenced recording the associated compensation expense, inclusive of a catch-up amount for the service period between their grant date and satisfaction of the performance condition, as of the closing of the Merger. The fair value of the RSUs that include a performance condition is amortized to compensation expense over the requisite service period using the accelerated attribution method, which accounts for RSUs with discrete vesting dates as if they were a separate award. Expense related to share-based payments is classified in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss based upon employees’ cash compensation. The Company recognized share-based compensation expense in imagery & software analytical service costs, excluding depreciation and amortization, and selling, general and administration expense on its unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations.
Stock Options
The Company uses the Black-Scholes option pricing model to value all options and the straight-line method to amortize the fair value as compensation cost over the requisite service period. The fair value of each option granted was estimated as of the date of grant. Having elected to move towards RSAs and RSUs, the Company did not grant any options during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 under the 2014 Plan; however, the Company expects to award options to certain of its officers under the 2021 Plan (defined below). The Company's uses the following inputs under Black-Scholes as follows:.
Expected Dividend Yield. The Black-Scholes valuation model requires an expected dividend yield as an input. The dividend yield is based on historical experience and expected future changes. The Company currently has no plans to pay dividends on its class A common stock.
Expected Volatility. The expected volatility of Legacy BlackSky’s class A common stock was estimated based upon the historical share price volatility of comparable publicly traded companies.
Risk-free Interest Rate. The yield on actively traded non-inflation indexed U.S. Treasury notes was used to extrapolate an average risk-free interest rate based on the expected term of the underlying grants.
Expected Term. The expected term is the estimated duration to a liquidation event based on a weighted average consideration of the most likely exit prospects for this stage of development. Legacy BlackSky was privately funded, and the lack of marketability was factored into the expected term of options granted. The Company will review its estimate in the future and adjust it, if necessary, due to changes in the Company’s historical exercises.
The most significant assumption used to determine the fair value of the Legacy BlackSky equity-based awards was the estimated fair value of the class A common stock on the grant date. In order to the determine the
fair value of the class A common stock on the date of grant, Legacy BlackSky historically performed a valuation analysis using a combination of market and incomes approaches. Subsequent to the Merger, the Company uses the NYSE trading price as the fair value of its common stock for valuation purposes.
Legacy BlackSky historically adjusted the exercise price of certain outstanding stock options. For each award with an adjusted exercise price, Legacy BlackSky calculated the incremental fair value, which was the excess of the fair value of the modified award over the fair value of the original award immediately before the modification. The incremental fair value was recognized as stock-based compensation expense immediately to the extent that the modified stock option already vested, and for stock options that were not yet vested, the incremental fair value has been recognized as stock-based compensation expense over the remaining vesting period.
Segment Information
The Company’s Chief Operating Decision Maker (as defined under US GAAP), who is the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, has determined the allocation of resources and assessed performance based upon the consolidated results of the Company. Accordingly, the Company is currently deemed to be comprised of only one operating segment and one reportable segment. This segment, which comprises the continuing operations of the Company’s single operating and reportable segment, provides geospatial intelligence, imagery and related data analytic products and services, and mission systems that include the development, integration, and operation of satellite and ground systems to government and commercial customers.
Debt - Application of the Fair Value Option
During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, the Company issued three tranches of subordinated, unsecured convertible promissory notes (collectively, the “Bridge Notes”) (refer to the discussion included in Note 13). The Company elected to account for the Bridge Notes under the fair value option. In accordance with the application of the fair value option, the Company (i) recorded the Bridge Notes at their fair values as of the dates of issuance and (ii) remeasured the fair value of the Bridge Notes at each balance sheet date and at the conversion date, which was the date of the Merger. Both the initial and subsequent measurement of the fair value of the Bridge Notes contemplated all of their terms and all of the notes’ features. Accordingly, when the fair value option was applied, the Company did not separately evaluate the Bridge Notes for the existence of embedded features that would require bifurcation as embedded derivatives under other accounting guidance. Changes to the fair value of the Bridge Notes between balance sheet dates are reported within other (expense)/income, net in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss if such changes are attributable to base market risk. Changes to the fair value of the Bridge Notes are reported in other comprehensive loss in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss if such changes were attributable to instrument-specific credit risk. All debt issuance costs incurred in connection with Bridge Notes accounted for pursuant to the fair value option were expensed as incurred. The Company did not separately report interest expense attributable to the Bridge Notes accounted for pursuant to the fair value option in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Accrued interest, which did not become due until maturity of the Bridge Notes, was included in the determination of the fair value of the Bridge Notes and changes thereto. These Bridge Notes converted at the closing of the Merger (Note 13) and as of September 30, 2021, the Company did not have any Bridge Notes outstanding.
Warrant Liability
The Company accounts for warrants as either equity-classified or liability-classified instruments based on an assessment of the warrant’s specific terms and applicable authoritative guidance in Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 480, “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity” (“ASC 480”) and ASC 815, “Derivatives and Hedging” (“ASC 815”). The assessment considers whether the warrants are freestanding financial instruments that would require classification as a liability under ASC 480, as well as whether the warrants qualify for equity classification or require liability classification after consideration of the guidance and criteria outlined in ASC 815, including whether the warrants are indexed to the Company’s own common shares and whether the warrant holders could potentially require “net cash
settlement” in a circumstance outside of the Company’s control, among other conditions that impact classification. This assessment, which requires the use of professional judgment, is conducted at the time of warrant issuance and as of each subsequent quarterly period end date while the warrants are outstanding.
For issued or modified warrants that meet all of the criteria for equity classification, the warrants are required to be recorded as a component of additional paid-in capital at the time of issuance. For issued or modified warrants that do not meet all of the criteria for equity classification, the warrants are required to be recorded at their initial fair value on the date of issuance, and remeasured at fair value as of each balance sheet date thereafter. The Company accounted for the warrants issued in connection with the Bridge Notes in accordance with the guidance contained in ASC 815-40-15-7D, under which the warrants did not meet the criteria for equity treatment and were recorded as liabilities. Accordingly, the Company classified the warrants as liabilities at their fair value and adjusted the warrants to fair value at each reporting period and at conversion. These liabilities were subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until exercised, and any change in fair value was recognized in the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. At the consummation of the Merger, all of the outstanding Legacy BlackSky class A common stock warrants issued in connection with the Bridge Notes and accounted for as liabilities were automatically net exercised into Legacy BlackSky class A common shares and then exchanged for 3.9 million BlackSky common shares based upon the class A common stock exchange ratio. As such, these warrants issued in connection with the Bridge Notes are no longer presented in the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets as of September 30, 2021.
As of September 30, 2021, the Company’s balance sheet included certain liability classified warrants that were issued at the time of Osprey’s initial public offering ("the IPO") and remained unexercised subsequent to the Merger. The fair value of the redeemable warrants sold as part of the units issued upon consummation of Osprey’s IPO (the “Public Warrants”), and which the Company has recorded as a long-term liability, was estimated as of the date of the Merger and as of September 30, 2021 using the Public Warrants’ quoted market price. The non-redeemable private placement warrants (“Private Placement Warrants”) were valued using a Black-Scholes option pricing model for initial and subsequent measurements and were also recorded as a long-term liability in the Company's unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets. The liabilities associated with the Public Warrants and the Private Placement Warrants are subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until exercised, and any change in fair value is recognized in the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
Transaction Costs
Transaction costs consist of legal fees, accounting fees, underwriting fees, and other third-party costs related directly to the Reverse Recapitalization. In a reverse recapitalization transaction between a private operating company and a public shell company that has cash on its balance sheet that is accounted for as the issuance of equity by the accounting acquirer for the cash of the shell company, the transaction costs incurred by Legacy BlackSky were permitted to be charged directly to equity. Upon the closing of the Merger, $19.2 million of transaction costs that had been incurred by Legacy BlackSky, inclusive of amounts that previously had been capitalized as other assets prior to the closing of the Merger, were recorded as a reduction to additional paid-in capital in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of changes in redeemable preferred stock and stockholders’ equity/(deficit) and unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets, and as a reduction to proceeds from the transaction in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. The transaction costs of $0.3 million related to the Sponsor Earn-Out Shares were expensed. There were no deferred transaction costs capitalized as of December 31, 2020.
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