BusinessStartups

Investors Publicly Urge Terran Orbital to Step it Up

Image: Terran Orbital

A group of investors in Terran Orbital ($LLAP) sent a letter to the company’s board on Thursday laying out a pathway to success after “underlying strategic and operational issues” have “significantly harmed the business,” the letter says. 

The problem: The investors laid out several problems the company has faced, including:

  • A 94% drop in stock value since going public in March 2022
  • A “mistimed and poorly executed” de-SPAC that has left the company “in constant need of cash”
  • A reckless “growth at all costs” philosophy
  • A lack of trust in the market and inability to raise funds

“We recognize that many SPACs have underperformed in the public markets, however, we believe the issues plaguing Terran are largely self-inflicted and can be remediated if the right management team and directors are installed immediately. Accordingly, time is of the essence,” the investors wrote in the letter. 

The investors: The letter was written by Sophis Investments LLC and Roark’s Drift LLC, in addition to Jordi Puig-Suari, Roland Coelho, and Austin Williams—the three cofounders of Tyvak Nanosatellite Systems. The group of investors own more than 16 million shares combined, or about 8.4% of the company. 

The solution: The investors laid out three things they believe Terran must address to be successful in the long term:

  • Hire a new CEO and separate chairman and CEO into two roles
  • Implement better corporate governance practices, including changes to the board
  • Conduct a comprehensive strategic review process with the help of outside financial and legal advisors

“Terran must regain market credibility and more favorable access to capital, which we believe can only be achieved through a meaningful change in leadership and greater operating efficiency,” the letter says. “Given the urgency that we believe exists, it is in the best interests of all of the company’s stakeholders that we share our concerns publicly.”

Related Stories
BusinessLaunchTechnology

Phantom Space and Ubotica Team Up to Bring AI to Orbit

The volume of data being gathered in space is growing exponentially, and the capacity to ship that data back to Earth is increasingly constrained. That’s why more companies want to analyze their data on orbit. Phantom Space is no different.

BusinessDeep Space

A Post-Mission Debrief with AstroForge’s CEO

“Will we actually land on an asteroid and get these beautiful samples? Probably f—— not,” Gialich told Payload. “But do we hope to change the name of the game for access to deep space, and show people that the price point we’re doing this at is doable? I hope.”

MilitaryStartups

Four TacRS Startups Join TRL Bootcamp

They focus on tech ranging from high-res imaging, mission planning, non-Earth imaging, and carrying and dispensing small sats in orbit (not unlike how an aircraft carrier operates at sea).

BusinessLEO

Vast Unveils Haven-1 Model, Partnerships in Colorado

While the station may look more luxurious than the industrial ISS it’s gunning to replace, CEO Max Haot was clear that the touches of comfort weren’t designed with billionaire vacationers in mind.