His investment fund, Noosphere Ventures Partners, established Earth Observing Data Analytics (EOSDA) in 2015. Two years later, Dr. Polyakov revived Firefly Aerospace out of bankruptcy to help him get into the rocket launch business.
Firefly, which is about to make its first space attempt, is Noosphere’s flagship space investment. Earlier this year, Firefly Aerospace announced that they are seeking $350 million to speed up the development. Meanwhile, SPACs, i.e. special-purpose acquisition companies, have earned a lot of attention and seem to attract more investors into the space industry.
Recently it was announced that EOSDA is set to launch its satellites (SAR-synthetic aperture radar) in 2022, with the optical spacecraft also on its road. Noosphere has benefited from the linking of various space enterprises together. They have earned flight heritage and have made it easy for products to be bundled together to cut down the prices for the customers who need integrated solutions. SpaceNews had an exclusive interview with Max Polyakov, the Noosphere managing director.
His Take on the Pandemics Impact on Space Business
Polyakov reveals that the pandemic slowed down some space firms. Most of the companies have been forced to reassess their plans and strategies. However, Dr. Polyakov’s interest is in the long-term health of his firms and their contribution to the space industry.
So far, according to Dr. Polyakov, his enterprise is doing exceedingly well. Despite the short-term challenges, his companies can leverage their market understanding and deep expertise to overcome the hurdles.
Integrated Investment Strategy: Has It Been Helped or Hindered by the Pandemic?
Polyakov noted that the pandemic had not spared any industrial sector — the space sector included. But he reveals that the pandemic has not hindered the integrated investment strategy. Noosphere continues to invest and come up with new strategies in each of the space firms.
The company’s long-term goals are a priority and are still bright despite the challenges.
Max noted that the vertical integration principles remain the same. A new generation of space firms will retain control over the ground stations, communications, launch vehicles, data analysis, and space earth observation. And this will benefit the companies even after the pandemic has been fully managed.
Voyager and Redwire Follow the Same Strategy as Noosphere: Are They Posing Competition?
According to Max Polyakov, Noosphere is not new in the space business. However, now their focus is on making sure their current businesses thrive while looking for deals that can offer synergy and increase what can be offered to the customers.
Why Has Firefly Delayed Its Launch Despite the High Protection From COVID-19?
Firefly intends to launch soon. The launch is delayed to refine rocket details. Spacecraft production is a complex process, so they had expected delays, but all the team members are working hard to reduce them.
Max Polyakov remains optimistic that the space business will boom and all their plans will come to fruition. They may not alter their strategies and will ensure all the ideas succeed.