Max Polyakov Contemplates Joining Satellite Manufacturing Business
Two years following its lifeline funding offer for a small-launcher organization Firefly, Noosphere is planning for a new space investment within the small-satellite business. According to the Noosphere official, its main agenda is to pull back another company from the edge, if necessary, as it establishes a space companies’ portfolio that supports SpaceX-based vertical integration.
Max Polyakov, who is Noosphere Ventures’ managing associate, confirmed in an interview that they have a strong belief that consolidation, as well as fusion and acquirement action, was imminent within the field. He added that the industry was inclined to the vertical integration to allow for full range control right from the launch to data analytics, satellite, communications, and ground-based stations. He suggests that it is good to consider the last dollar collected from the base – the client paying for the analytics, the imagery, or communications.
As a financier and a holding organization, Noosphere, has shares in 19 companies; however, only a few operate within the space field, this is according to Mark Watt, an associate at Noosphere.
In his speech, Watt articulated that Noosphere boasted an average $150 million to $200 million in merger and acquirement-type funding every year for the last five years. In a similar case, he also believes that funding within a small-satellite component supplier or company is going to occur during this summer.
Polyakov quoted Planet, which creates and manages a fleet of the Earth’s-observing Cubesats as well as Maxar Technologies, which creates satellites that will be governed by its DigitalGlobe department, as developing vertical integration examples. The examples mentioned herein apply to the small satellites only, and not to the more massive spacecraft industry. Maxar has started dissociating itself from the industrial operations for big, multi-ton telecom spacecraft citing diminished business.
According to Max Polyakov, Noosphere is mainly concerned with an industrial capacity for satellites ranging from 50 to 500 kilograms. This kind of company may assist in building-related technologies like orbital transfer automobiles for satellite deployment, space tugs, and rubble removal systems.
Small satellite component suppliers are also necessary considering what Noosphere sees as a thinning difference existing between them (suppliers) and full manufacturers. In reply, Watt said that they are going to offer the right check for a suitable company. It may be a small start-up company or a prominent and well-established player that may not be, for any reason, in operation.
