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BlackSky Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Results

First Very-High Resolution Gen-3 Satellite Delivering Imagery Five Days from Launch

Company Secures Over $150 Million in Recent Contract Awards

2025 Total Revenue Forecasted to Grow 30% Over 2024

BlackSky Technology Inc. (“BlackSky” or the “Company”) (NYSE: BKSY) announced the successful Gen-3 launch and imaging performance along with results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2024.

“I’m happy to report that within 5 days of launch our new Gen-3 satellite is already exceeding customer expectations for initial very-high resolution image quality,” said Brian E. O’Toole, BlackSky CEO. “The addition of very-high resolution imagery to our high-frequency monitoring constellation enables us to deliver AI-derived insights at the speed of conflict, providing our customers with advanced space-based intelligence solutions. Building on this significant milestone, we are now set to begin a regular cadence of Gen-3 satellite launches to expand our capabilities. With early Gen-3 success and a number of significant recent contract wins, we’re off to a strong start to 2025.”

Full Year Financial Highlights:

  • Revenue of $102.1 million
  • Imagery & software analytical services revenue grew to $70.1 million
  • Imagery & software analytical service cost of sales(1), as a percentage of revenue, improved to 20%
  • Net loss(2) of $57.0 million
  • Adjusted EBITDA(3) improved to $11.6 million compared to an Adjusted EBITDA loss of $1.0 million in the prior year

(1) Cost of sales is defined as imagery and software analytical services costs and professional and engineering services cost, less depreciation and amortization expense.

(2) This represents our current estimate of net loss for the period ended December 31, 2024, which is subject to the completion of our financial closing procedures and adjustments that may result from the completion of the audit of our consolidated financial statements. As a result, this net loss estimate may differ from the actual net loss reported in our consolidated financial statements when they are completed and publicly disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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

Recent Highlights

  • Successfully launched first Gen-3 satellite and began delivering imagery that is exceeding customer expectations for initial image quality five days after launch
  • The National Reconnaissance Office extended its subscription for Gen-2 imagery services under the Electro-Optical Commercial Layer program into 2026
  • Awarded a more than $100 million seven-year subscription contract with an existing international customer for Gen-2 and Gen-3 satellite imagery
  • Won multi-year contracts totaling approximately $20 million to support India’s commercial earth observation capabilities, including imagery services and a dedicated space asset
  • Awarded a multi-year contract valued up to $200 million with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency under the Luno B program to provide mission-critical data and analytic services
  • Won a multi-million-dollar expansion contract with the Defense Innovation Unit to demonstrate space-based tactical ISR capabilities and provide on orbit operations under the TACGEO program
  • Awarded a six-figure contract with a new strategic international customer to provide on-demand Gen-2 imagery, analytic services, and training on BlackSky’s Spectra tasking and analytics platform
  • Won a multi-year subscription contract with EMDYN, a geospatial intelligence fusion company, to deliver space-based imagery services to international customers
  • Recent 2025 contract awards increases the December 31, 2024 backlog of $261 million to approximately $390 million

Financial Results

Revenues

Total revenue for the fourth quarter of 2024 was $30.4 million, down $5.1 million, or 14%, from the fourth quarter of 2023, which included a $7 million one-time benefit under the Company’s Indonesian contract. Imagery and software analytical services revenue was $17.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, down $1.6 million from the prior year period primarily due to the upfront delivery of $2 million of imagery orders for a project received in the fourth quarter of 2023. Professional and engineering services revenue was $12.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $16.5 million in the prior year period, which included approximately $7 million for progress to date activities on capabilities to be delivered under the Indonesian contract. Professional and engineering services contracts are milestone-based contracts that may have quarter-over-quarter revenue variability, in contrast to the imagery and software analytical services, which are typically recurring subscription-based revenues.

For the full year 2024, total revenue was $102.1 million, up $7.6 million, or 8%, from 2023. Imagery and software analytical services revenue was $70.1 million, up $4.7 million, or 7% over the prior year.

Cost of Sales(1)

Total cost of sales as a percentage of revenue improved to 23% for the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to 34% in the fourth quarter of 2023.

For the full year 2024, cost of sales as a percentage of revenue improved to 27%, compared to 36% in 2023.

Operating Expenses

Operating expenses for the fourth quarter of 2024 were $29.6 million, which included $2.8 million of non-cash stock-based compensation expense and $10.0 million in depreciation and amortization expenses. Operating expenses for the fourth quarter of 2023 were $28.1 million, which included $3.0 million in non-cash stock-based compensation expense and $10.7 million in depreciation and amortization expenses. Excluding the non-cash stock-based compensation and depreciation and amortization expenses from both years, cash operating expenses(3) for the fourth quarter of 2024 were $16.9 million, compared to cash operating expenses of $14.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2023. The year-over-year increase of $2.4 million was primarily due to investments in the business, including bringing satellite production capabilities in-house.

For the full year 2024, operating expenses were $119.0 million, which included $10.5 million of non-cash stock-based compensation expense and $43.5 million in depreciation and amortization expenses. For the full year 2023, operating expenses were $116.7 million, which included $10.1 million of non-cash stock-based compensation expense and $43.4 million in depreciation and amortization expenses. Excluding the non-cash stock-based compensation and depreciation and amortization expenses from both years, cash operating expenses in 2024 were $64.9 million, compared to cash operating expenses of $63.1 million in 2023.

Net Loss(2)

Net loss for the fourth quarter of 2024 was $19.2 million, compared to a net loss of $3.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2023. The year-over-year increase in net loss of $15.4 million was primarily due to changes in the (loss)/gain on derivatives, which are driven by fluctuations in the Company’s equity warrants and other equity instruments that are measured at fair value and driven by the Company’s common stock price.

For the full year 2024, net loss was $57.0 million, compared to $53.9 million in 2023.

Adjusted EBITDA(3)

Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter of 2024 was $7.4 million, compared to an adjusted EBITDA of $9.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2023, which included $6.5 million of specific project-based revenue and operating expense savings. Excluding the one-time benefit in the fourth quarter of 2023, adjusted EBITDA improved $4.6 million year-over-year primarily driven by strong operating leverage achieved through higher revenues and improved gross margins.

For the full year 2024, Adjusted EBITDA was $11.6 million, compared to an Adjusted EBITDA loss of $1.0 million in 2023, delivering a $12.7 million year-over-year improvement.

Balance Sheet & Capital Expenditures

As of December 31, 2024, cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, and short-term investments totaled $53.8 million. The Company also anticipates receiving approximately $27.9 million in payments over the next 12 months as interim milestones on a few major customer contracts are met and expected to be billed. In addition, the Company received a $32 million cash prepayment in the first quarter of 2025 for work related to a recent contract win, further enhancing the Company’s liquidity. Capital expenditures for the fourth quarter of 2024 were $9.5 million and for the full year 2024 totaled $50.2 million.

2025 Outlook

BlackSky expects full year 2025 revenue to be between $125 million and $142 million, and full year 2025 adjusted EBITDA to be between $14 million and $22 million. In addition, the Company anticipates full year 2025 capital expenditures to be between $60 million and $70 million, primarily driven by investments in the production and deployment of Gen-3 satellites.

Investment Community Conference Call

BlackSky will host a conference call and webcast for the investment community this morning at 8:30 a.m. EST. Senior management will review the fourth quarter and full year 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 or 1-201-689-8778 at least ten minutes prior to 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 13751159. The audio replay will be available from approximately 12:30 p.m. EST on March 6, 2025, through March 20, 2025.

About BlackSky

BlackSky is a real-time, space-based intelligence company that delivers on-demand, high-frequency imagery, analytics, and high-frequency monitoring of the most critical and strategic locations, economic assets, and events in the world. BlackSky owns and operates one of the industry’s most advanced, purpose-built commercial, real-time intelligence system that combines the power of the BlackSky Spectra® tasking and analytics software platform and our proprietary low earth orbit satellite constellation.

With BlackSky, customers can see, understand and anticipate changes for a decisive strategic advantage at the tactical edge, and act not just fast, but first. BlackSky is trusted by some of the most demanding 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 X (Twitter).

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income or loss attributable to BlackSky before interest income, interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, as well as significant non-cash and/or non-recurring expenses as our management believes these items are not as useful in evaluating the Company’s core operating performance. These items include, but are not limited to, stock-based compensation expense; unrealized (gain) loss on certain warrants/shares classified as derivative liabilities; non-recurring transaction costs; severance; litigation, settlements, and related costs; impairment losses, income on equity method investment; transaction costs associated with debt and equity financings; and investment loss on short-term investments. Cash operating expenses is defined as operating expenses less stock-based compensation expense for selling, general, and administrative costs, and depreciation and amortization expense. The Company believes evaluating cash operating expenses is useful to manage expenses as it excludes non-cash items that may obscure the underlying business performance.

Adjusted EBITDA and cash operating expenses are non-GAAP financial performance measures. These measures 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 filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) 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. Please refer to the schedule herein for a reconciliation of cash operating expenses to operating expenses, the most comparable measure reported in accordance with GAAP, and this press release for a discussion of the use of cash operating expenses.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements and other information included in this press 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. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this press release, including statements as to future performance, our guidance outlook for the year and expected capital expenditures, our ability to sustain revenue growth, expectations regarding the receipt of cash from customers over the next 12 months, expectations regarding global demand for our products and services, our anticipated liquidity and cash flows, our anticipated Gen-3 satellite launch timing, and our expectations related to future profitability on an adjusted basis, are forward-looking statements.

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 press 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, factors such as long and unpredictable sales cycles, customer demand, and our ability to estimate resources for fixed-price contracts, expenses, and other operational and liquidity needs, as well as the risk factors discussed in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other disclosures about BlackSky and its business included in BlackSky's disclosure materials filed from time to time with the 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 press 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 press release and speak only as of such date. BlackSky disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events, except as may be required under applicable securities law.

 

BLACKSKY TECHNOLOGY INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

(unaudited)

(in thousands, except per share amounts)

 

Three Months Ended December 31,

Years Ended December 31,

 

2024

 

 

2023

 

 

 

2024

 

 

 

2023

 

Revenue

 

 

Imagery & software analytical services

$

17,484

 

 

$

19,039

 

 

$

70,062

 

$

65,391

 

Professional & engineering services

 

12,886

 

 

 

16,469

 

 

 

32,031

 

 

29,101

 

Total revenue

 

30,370

 

 

 

35,508

 

 

 

102,093

 

 

94,492

 

Costs and expenses

 

 

 

 

 

Imagery & software analytical service costs, excluding depreciation and amortization

 

3,348

 

 

 

3,159

 

 

 

13,907

 

 

 

13,793

 

Professional & engineering service costs, excluding depreciation and amortization

 

3,519

 

 

 

8,851

 

 

 

13,525

 

 

 

19,988

 

Selling, general and administrative

 

19,078

 

 

 

17,328

 

 

 

74,069

 

 

 

72,617

 

Research and development

 

559

 

 

 

118

 

 

 

1,344

 

 

 

643

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

9,956

 

 

 

10,696

 

 

 

43,542

 

 

 

43,431

 

Total costs and expenses

 

36,460

 

 

 

40,152

 

 

 

146,387

 

 

 

150,472

 

Operating loss

 

(6,090

)

 

 

(4,644

)

 

 

(44,294

)

 

 

(55,980

)

(Loss) gain on derivatives

 

(11,408

)

 

 

234

 

 

 

(2,815

)

 

 

7,679

 

Income on equity method investment

 

1,401

 

 

 

3,252

 

 

 

1,401

 

 

 

4,165

 

Interest income

 

573

 

 

 

461

 

 

 

1,560

 

 

 

2,063

 

Interest expense

 

(3,382

)

 

 

(2,679

)

 

 

(12,187

)

 

 

(9,306

)

Other income (expense), net

 

75

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

56

 

 

 

(1,807

)

Loss before income taxes

 

(18,831

)

 

 

(3,375

)

 

 

(56,279

)

 

 

(53,186

)

Income tax expense

 

(394

)

 

 

(413

)

 

 

(744

)

 

 

(673

)

Net loss

 

(19,225

)

 

 

(3,788

)

 

 

(57,023

)

 

 

(53,859

)

Other comprehensive income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total comprehensive loss

$

(19,225

)

 

$

(3,788

)

 

$

(57,023

)

 

$

(53,859

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic and diluted loss per share of common stock:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss per share of common stock

$

(1.01

)

 

$

(0.21

)

 

$

(2.66

)

 

$

(3.18

)

 

Weighted average common shares outstanding - basic and diluted

 

19,120

 

 

 

17,668

 

 

 

21,443

 

 

 

16,931

 

BLACKSKY TECHNOLOGY INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(unaudited)

(in thousands, except par value)

 

 

December 31, 2024

 

December 31, 2023

Assets

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

$

13,056

 

 

$

32,815

 

Restricted cash

 

1,322

 

 

 

619

 

Short-term investments

 

39,406

 

 

 

19,697

 

Accounts receivable, net of allowance of $45 and $151, respectively

 

14,701

 

 

 

7,071

 

Contract assets

 

27,852

 

 

 

15,213

 

Inventories

 

6,043

 

 

 

 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

4,356

 

 

 

3,916

 

Total current assets

 

106,736

 

 

 

79,331

 

Property and equipment - net

 

45,614

 

 

 

67,116

 

Operating lease right of use assets - net

 

4,029

 

 

 

1,630

 

Goodwill

 

9,393

 

 

 

9,393

 

Intangible assets - net

 

6,508

 

 

 

1,357

 

Satellite procurement work in process

 

80,601

 

 

 

55,976

 

Other assets

 

1,461

 

 

 

9,263

 

Total assets

$

254,342

 

 

$

224,066

 

Liabilities and stockholders’ equity

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

$

20,420

 

 

$

11,573

 

Amounts payable to equity method investees

 

 

 

 

10,843

 

Contract liabilities - current

 

2,183

 

 

 

3,670

 

Debt - current portion

 

1,927

 

 

 

 

Other current liabilities

 

1,493

 

 

 

1,405

 

Total current liabilities

 

26,023

 

 

 

27,491

 

Operating lease liabilities

 

8,048

 

 

 

3,041

 

Derivative liabilities

 

17,964

 

 

 

15,149

 

Long-term debt - net of current portion

 

105,736

 

 

 

83,502

 

Other liabilities

 

2,387

 

 

 

1,724

 

Total liabilities

 

160,158

 

 

 

130,907

 

Stockholders’ equity:

 

 

 

Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value-authorized, 300,000 shares; issued, 30,960 and 18,154 shares; outstanding, 30,663 shares and 17,855 shares as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

 

3

 

 

 

2

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

750,174

 

 

 

692,127

 

Accumulated deficit

 

(655,993

)

 

 

(598,970

)

Total stockholders’ equity

 

94,184

 

 

 

93,159

 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

$

254,342

 

 

$

224,066

 

BLACKSKY TECHNOLOGY INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(unaudited)

(in thousands)

 

 

Years Ended December 31,

 

 

2024

 

 

 

2023

 

Cash flows from operating activities:

 

 

 

Net loss

$

(57,023

)

 

$

(53,859

)

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

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization expense

 

43,542

 

 

 

43,431

 

Transfer of satellite procurement work in process to engineering service costs

 

334

 

 

 

4,854

 

Operating lease right of use assets amortization

 

583

 

 

 

883

 

Bad debt expense

 

145

 

 

 

179

 

Stock-based compensation expense

 

11,169

 

 

 

10,862

 

Amortization of debt issuance costs and non-cash interest expense

 

9,207

 

 

 

7,967

 

Loss (gain) on derivatives

 

2,815

 

 

 

(7,679

)

Non-cash interest income

 

(1,074

)

 

 

(796

)

Loss on impairment of assets

 

131

 

 

 

81

 

Loss on disposal of assets

 

44

 

 

 

127

 

Income on equity method investment

 

(1,401

)

 

 

(4,165

)

Other, net

 

321

 

 

 

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

Accounts receivable

 

(7,775

)

 

 

(4,137

)

Contract assets - current and long-term

 

(4,989

)

 

 

(16,299

)

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

556

 

 

 

1,118

 

Other assets

 

2,428

 

 

 

1,328

 

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

 

(4,080

)

 

 

3,316

 

Other current liabilities

 

(356

)

 

 

(1,041

)

Contract liabilities - current and long-term

 

(978

)

 

 

(3,053

)

Other liabilities

 

17

 

 

 

(538

)

Net cash used in operating activities

 

(6,384

)

 

 

(17,421

)

Cash flows from investing activities:

 

 

 

Purchase of property and equipment

 

(15,678

)

 

 

(15,274

)

Satellite procurement work in process

 

(34,558

)

 

 

(28,441

)

Purchases of short-term investments

 

(52,860

)

 

 

(40,078

)

Proceeds from maturities of short-term investments

 

34,225

 

 

 

59,110

 

Cash received from business acquisition

 

541

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from sale of equity method investment

 

 

 

 

9,450

 

Proceeds from sale of property and equipment

 

 

 

 

22

 

Net cash used in investing activities

 

(68,330

)

 

 

(15,211

)

Cash flows from financing activities:

 

 

 

Proceeds from equity issuances, net of equity issuance costs

 

47,009

 

 

 

32,733

 

Proceeds from issuance of debt

 

20,000

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from options exercised and ESPP shares purchased

 

308

 

 

 

10

 

Debt payments

 

(10,000

)

 

 

 

Payments for debt issuance costs

 

(632

)

 

 

 

Withholding tax payments on vesting of restricted stock units

 

(967

)

 

 

(1,410

)

Payments for deferred financing costs

 

 

 

 

(67

)

Payments for deferred offering costs

 

(60

)

 

 

 

Payments of transaction costs for debt modification

 

 

 

 

(1,311

)

Payments of transaction costs related to derivative liabilities

 

 

 

 

(905

)

Net cash provided by financing activities

 

55,658

 

 

 

29,050

 

Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash

 

(19,056

)

 

 

(3,582

)

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

 

33,434

 

 

 

37,016

 

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

$

14,378

 

 

$

33,434

 

 

BLACKSKY TECHNOLOGY INC.

RECONCILIATION OF NET LOSS TO ADJUSTED EBITDA

(unaudited)

(in thousands)

 

 

Three Months Ended December 31,

 

Years Ended December 31,

 

 

2024

 

 

 

2023

 

 

 

2024

 

 

 

2023

 

Net loss

$

(19,225

)

 

$

(3,788

)

 

$

(57,023

)

 

$

(53,859

)

Interest income

 

(573

)

 

 

(461

)

 

 

(1,560

)

 

 

(2,063

)

Interest expense

 

3,382

 

 

 

2,679

 

 

 

12,187

 

 

 

9,306

 

Income tax expense

 

394

 

 

 

413

 

 

 

744

 

 

 

673

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

9,956

 

 

 

10,696

 

 

 

43,542

 

 

 

43,431

 

Stock-based compensation expense

 

2,925

 

 

 

3,137

 

 

 

11,169

 

 

 

10,862

 

Loss (gain) on derivatives

 

11,408

 

 

 

(234

)

 

 

2,815

 

 

 

(7,679

)

Non-recurring transaction costs

 

231

 

 

 

 

 

 

459

 

 

 

 

Litigation, settlements, and related costs

 

218

 

 

 

 

 

 

355

 

 

 

 

Severance

 

 

 

 

28

 

 

 

219

 

 

 

590

 

Impairment losses

 

60

 

 

 

81

 

 

 

131

 

 

 

81

 

Income on equity method investment

 

(1,401

)

 

 

(3,252

)

 

 

(1,401

)

 

 

(4,165

)

Transaction costs associated with debt and equity financings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,738

 

Investment loss on short-term investments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

55

 

Adjusted EBITDA

$

7,375

 

 

$

9,299

 

 

$

11,637

 

 

$

(1,030

)

BLACKSKY TECHNOLOGY INC.

RECONCILIATION OF OPERATING EXPENSES TO CASH OPERATING EXPENSES

(unaudited)

(in thousands)

 

 

Three Months Ended December 31,

 

Years Ended December 31,

 

 

2024

 

 

 

2023

 

 

 

2024

 

 

 

2023

 

Operating expenses

$

29,593

 

 

$

28,142

 

 

$

118,955

 

 

$

116,691

 

Stock-based compensation for selling, general and administrative costs

 

(2,779

)

 

 

(2,969

)

 

 

(10,526

)

 

 

(10,118

)

Depreciation and amortization

 

(9,956

)

 

 

(10,696

)

 

 

(43,542

)

 

 

(43,431

)

Cash operating expenses

$

16,858

 

 

$

14,477

 

 

$

64,887

 

 

$

63,142

 

 

Contacts

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