Sidus Space, Inc. (SIDU) Earnings Call Transcript & Summary

Good evening, and welcome to the Sidus Space Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results Conference Call. [Operator Instructions] Please note, this event is being recorded. I would now like to turn the conference over to Alan Khalili, Chief Financial Officer. Please go ahead.

Good evening, everyone, and thank you for joining us at Sidus Space's Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call. Joining us today from the company is Carol Craig, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; and myself, Alan Khalili, Chief Financial Officer. During today's call, we may make certain forward-looking statements. These statements are based upon current expectations with respect to the future of our business, the economy, and other events as they result, and subject to risk and uncertainties. Many factors could cause the actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements made on this call. These factors include our ability to estimate operational expenses and liquidity needs, customer demand, supply chain delays, including launch providers, and extended sales cycles. We also expect to discuss certain financial measures and information that are non-GAAP measures as defined in the applicable SEC rules and regulations. Reconciliation to the company GAAP measures are included in the Management's Discussion and Analysis of the financial conditions and the results of operations within Sidus' quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2026. For more information about these risks and uncertainties, please refer to the risk factors in the company filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, each of which can be found on our website, www.sidusspace.com. Listeners are cautioned not to put any undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and the company specifically disclaims any obligations to update the forward-looking statements that may be discussed during the call. At this time, I would like to turn the call over to Carol. Carol, please go ahead.

Good evening, and thank you, everyone, for joining us. Before I turn to the quarter, I want to formally welcome Alan Khalili, who joined Sidus as Chief Financial Officer effective July 27, succeeding Interim Chief Financial Officer, John Burke. Alan brings more than 2 decades of executive financial leadership across the space, satellite, and technology sectors, with experience spanning investment banking, public accounting, entrepreneurial leadership as a co-founder of a space-based global aviation surveillance data platform, and service as CFO of a publicly traded company. As we scale satellite manufacturing, advance commercialization of the Fortis VPX digital mission computing platform and our AI technologies, and work to build recurring revenue, his financial leadership will be central to our execution. So now, turning to the quarter. The second quarter of 2026 was, in many respects, the quarter in which our balance sheet caught up to our technology. We entered this year with a set of proven capabilities and a clear commercialization plan. Over the past several months, we've raised the capital to fund that plan, gained meaningful institutional visibility, and moved our next satellite through the environmental qualification testing that clears the path to launch. Our focus today is shifting from proving our technology to scaling its commercial application, and that distinction is important. Success can no longer be measured simply by launching satellites or demonstrating technical capability. Instead, it will increasingly be measured by customer adoption, recurring revenue, operating leverage, and long-term shareholder value. For those who may be new to our story, Sidus was founded as an agile and vertically integrated company to deliver high-quality, cost-effective, end-to-end space and defense solutions for multi-domain operations. Today, that foundation includes satellite design and manufacturing, mission operations, AI-enabling digital mission computing architectures, orbital edge computing, and a growing portfolio of intellectual property, all designed, built, and tested in-house at our 35,000-square-foot facility on Florida's Space Coast. We have intentionally built capabilities that work together rather than assembling disconnected businesses. So I want to continue by discussing capital, because I know it is on the minds of many of our shareholders and because it shapes everything else we're able to do. In late May, we closed a best efforts registered direct offering of approximately 19.7 million shares of Class A common stock or pre-funded warrants in lieu thereof at an offering price of $5.08 per share, generating gross proceeds of approximately $100 million before placement agent fees and offering expenses. ThinkEquity acted as sole placement agent. Together with the offering we closed in April, we raised $158.5 million in gross proceeds in Q2. Based on this, I think it's important to address dilution directly, as I did in the shareholder letter we published a few weeks ago. We recognize that equity financing creates dilution. That impact is real and should never be dismissed. We view it in the context of what it enables. These raises were not intended to fund indefinite operating losses. They were designed to strengthen our balance sheet, improve financial flexibility, reduce financing friction, raise our competitive profile as we target large government programs, and provide the resources to accelerate commercialization from a position of strength rather than necessity. It's also worth noting how we got here. Unlike many companies that entered the public markets during the SPAC era with substantial capital already on their balance sheet, Sidus deliberately chose a different path. We pursued a traditional IPO and a staged capital formation strategy, raising capital as technical milestones were achieved rather than building infrastructure years ahead of commercialization. Operating with significantly less capital than many of our peers demanded focus, prioritization, and operational efficiency. It occasionally limited the pace at which we could expand, but it also forced us to build a company grounded in engineering discipline and capital efficiency. We believe that long-term shareholder value is created not by the amount of capital raised, but by how effectively that capital is deployed. In June, Sidus joined the Russell 3000, Russell 2000, and Russell Microcap Indexes as part of the June 2026 Russell reconstitution, effective after the U.S. market closed on June 26. Membership's determined by objective market capitalization-based criteria rather than any qualitative assessment of the company. For shareholders, we believe the significance is one of access and visibility. The Russell Indexes are widely tracked by institutional investors, pension funds, mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds, and many institutions apply mandates or screening criteria that limit them to index constituents. Inclusion places Sidus within that eligible universe for the first time, broadens the base of investors who can consider our stock, and is generally associated with increased trading liquidity. Though the degree and durability of any such effect will depend on market conditions and on our own performance, we view inclusion as an opening, not an outcome. To convert visibility into sustained institutional interest, we are expanding our investor relations program, including participation in institutional conferences and non-deal roadshows during the second half of 2026, increasing the cadence and depth of our operational disclosure so investors can track execution against milestones, strengthening our governance and internal reporting infrastructure to meet institutional diligence standards, and directing targeted outreach towards small cap and space sector-focused funds. We believe that greater institutional ownership carries higher expectations for communication, execution, transparency, and financial discipline. We welcome those expectations and we intend to earn the ownership rather than assume it follows automatically from index membership. Turning to our satellite program, which was the operational centerpiece of the quarter, I want to share our progress as we continue to build our software-defined satellites powered by our own proprietary digital mission computing platform, Fortis VPX Maxima. In June, our next LizzieSat successfully completed vibration testing, a key environmental qualification milestone at Element U.S. Space & Defense's accredited facility in Orlando, Florida. Vibration testing simulates the intense mechanical loads a spacecraft experiences during launch and ascent, and completing it is designed to confirm that the satellite structure, components, and integrated payloads can withstand liftoff and remain fully operational on-orbit. With qualification testing behind us, the remaining work is focused on preparing the satellite for launch readiness and on-orbit operations. This mission is significant for a reason beyond the spacecraft itself. As I mentioned, this will be the first flight for Fortis VPX Maxima, Sidus' multi-domain proprietary digital mission computing platform. Fortis Maxima pairs a quad-core ARM processor and reconfigurable FPGA, which is key, with an integrated NVIDIA edge AI and machine learning engine, and an assured positioning, navigation and timing suite. This combination of technology enables the delivery of near real-time AI-driven processing at the edge for dual-use defense and commercial applications. Operating it in the demanding environment of space is expected to advance the technology to Technology Readiness Level 9, which is the highest level of maturity and denotes a system proven through successful mission operations. For our defense and commercial customers, that distinction is not academic. Flight heritage is frequently the gating requirement in procurement decisions, and maturing this technology on-orbit is intended to position Fortis for adoption across our customer base, which includes all domains: sea, land, air, and space. Heritage like that is not accumulated by accident. It is built deliberately by producing spacecraft with repeatable design that can be rapidly customized to address multiple missions and customers. We believe that manufacturing strategy is what defines our place in the market. We occupy a distinct position in the space ecosystem, between the large primes that build exquisite one-off spacecraft on decade-long timelines and the smallsat vendors selling standardized buses off a catalog. We are a custom satellite manufacturer with flight-proven hardware on-orbit, delivering mission-specific spacecraft at production speed and cost. Our LizzieSat platform is not a fixed product, but a validated engineering baseline, one that we tailor to each customer's payload, mission profile, and orbit. Vertically integrated design, build, and integration under one roof lets us move from requirements to delivered spacecraft on timelines and at price points that traditional bespoke programs cannot match, while retaining the reliability that comes from a common, qualified technology foundation. That foundation is deliberately orbit agnostic. The same core architecture supports commercial, civil, and national security missions across low Earth orbit and geostationary orbit, with a development path towards cislunar and lunar environments. Each successive LizzieSat mission feeds hardware and operational lessons back into the baseline, adding capability, autonomy, and mission flexibility. So every customer benefits from the flight heritage of the ones before them. I touched on Fortis VPX Maxima earlier. It warrants more detail because it is central to our commercialization strategy. You will notice that we now refer to this as the Fortis VPX digital mission computing platform. That change in language reflects a change in the product. What began as a rugged, modular command and data handling system for space applications has evolved into a multi-domain, software-defined digital mission computing architecture that we believe will serve as the intelligent backbone for the next generation space and defense system. Over the past 12 months, we have seen an increasing number of customers who are looking beyond raw computing performance to mission execution. Fortis VPX is designed to eliminate many of the computing bottlenecks that traditionally limit autonomous operations in space and other contested environments. It enables spacecraft to, one, execute complex autonomous rendezvous and docking maneuvers in real time without relying on delayed ground intervention. Two, process high bandwidth payload data directly at the edge to reduce latency and communications bandwidth. And three, simultaneously perform advanced cybersecurity functions, including secure boot and cryptographic processing, without impacting primary flight software. Built on a modular, SOSA-aligned architecture, Fortis provides the processing foundation for artificial intelligence, autonomy, sensor fusion, assured positioning, navigation and timing, precision timing through atomic clock integration, electronic warfare, cyber resilient processing, and multi-domain operations across space, air, maritime, and terrestrial platforms. What differentiates Fortis VPX is the option for full integration. Rather than delivering standalone computing, positioning, or AI solutions, it combines high-performance processing, AI-enabling edge computing, autonomous mission execution, A-PNT, resilient timing, advanced cybersecurity, extensive mission input and output, and software defined flexibility within a single architecture. That reduces system complexity, it lowers integration risk, accelerates deployment, and it minimizes non-recurring engineering costs. And unlike many competing VPX products built from commercial or automotive-grade components, Fortis is engineered with space-rated components to provide the reliability required for operations in low Earth orbit and other demanding environments. Customers can deploy the fully integrated system for individual 3U OpenVPX modules, which allows them to tailor solutions to mission-specific size, weight, power, performance, and cost requirements while preserving the flexibility for future upgrades. This work is supported by a strategic collaboration with Microchip Technology, announced in April, whose space-grade flight-proven semiconductor technologies, including PolarFire FPGAs, space and defense-grade processors, precision timing modules, and high-reliability networking components, reduce the integration complexity and shorten the path from design to mission-ready hardware. Fortis also incorporates flight-proven insights from 3 Sidus-designed and operated LizzieSat missions, which inform system performance, data throughput requirements, and multi-sensor integration. That feedback loop between what we fly and what we build is a direct benefit of our vertically integrated model. On timing, and I want to remind listeners of the forward-looking statements we discussed at the beginning of the call, while qualification timelines vary by customer and mission, we currently anticipate initial full commercial availability of the Fortis VPX platform in early 2027, subject to final integration activities and customer qualifications, which are underway now. Customer engagement continues to expand as hardware availability increases. Defense prime contractors, satellite manufacturers, and commercial aerospace organizations are actively evaluating our Fortis VPX across a growing number of mission applications. Aerospace and defense procurement cycles require patience, but these engagements represent important milestones for production programs and recurring revenue. On the government defense side, the current geopolitical environment reinforces the technology priorities that have guided our development roadmap for years. Governments increasingly require resilient space architectures, autonomous operations, AI-enabled decision-making, and distributed computing capable of operating in contested environments. Those requirements align directly with our LizzieSat satellite platform, our Fortis VPX, and our FeatherEdge processing architecture. Our participation in strategic contracting vehicles, including the Missile Defense Agency's SHIELD program, together with ongoing discussions with Department of Defense agencies, defense-based intelligence organizations, and major defense prime contractors, has strengthened and broadened our opportunity pipeline. We've also invested further in our security infrastructure, operational compliance, and mission assurance capabilities, which positions us to pursue more sensitive opportunities across defense and intelligence communities. Our Mission Control Center maintains 24/7 coverage, supporting satellite operations, collection management, and data distribution for our own satellites, with capacity to support additional customers' constellations as well. Subsequent to quarter end, we published a letter to shareholders on July 21 that addresses candidly where we are today, the decisions we have made, and where we are headed, including our capital strategy and the evolution of our business model. I would encourage anyone who has not read it to do so. It's available on our Investor Relations website as well. And finally, as I mentioned at the outset, we announced Alan's appointment as Chief Financial Officer on July 24. And with that, I'll turn the call over to Alan for our financial review.

Thank you, Carol. Before I turn to the numbers, I want to say briefly why I joined. Sidus has built a differentiated, vertically integrated position in the space and defense technology market, spanning dual-use satellite manufacturing, space-based data solutions, AI products, and mission-critical hardware. That breadth creates a clear runway to grow the top line. My focus will be on financial discipline needed to convert that portfolio into durable recurring revenue, strengthening financial operations, supporting strategic execution, and delivering long-term value for shareholders. I look forward to meeting many of you in the months ahead. Let's turn to the results, starting with the 6 months ended June 30, 2026. Total revenue for the first half was approximately $942,000 compared to $1.5 million in the same period 2025, a decrease of $557,000 or 37%. Most of that decline was in revenues from related parties, which fell from approximately $648,000 to approximately $161,000. Third-party revenue was approximately $781,000 compared to $852,000, a decrease of 8%. Cost of revenues for the first half was $2.6 million, compared to $4.2 million, a decrease of $1.5 million. Roughly $832,000 of that decrease was lower satellite and related software depreciation following the impairment recorded in the fourth quarter of 2025. The balance reflects lower contract material and labor costs on reduced activity. Gross loss for the first half was $1.7 million compared to $2.7 million, an improvement of approximately $976,000. The cost of revenues declined by more than revenues did. Selling, general and administrative expenses were $9.5 million compared to $8.7 million, an increase of approximately $774,000 or 9%. Professional fees accounted for approximately $498,000 of that increase. Payroll expense was essentially unchanged, rising less than 1%. Loss from operations was $11.2 million compared to $11.4 million, an improvement of approximately $201,000. Net loss for the first half was $10 million compared to $12 million, an improvement of $2 million or 17%. Substantially, all of that improvement came from other income and expense, which swung by approximately $1.8 million, reflecting the elimination of asset-based loan costs following the repayment of the loan in January and higher interest income on our cash balance. We also reported adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure we use internally to guide strategic decision making. Adjusted EBITDA loss for the first half was $9.7 million, compared to a loss of $8.6 million. Because adjusted EBITDA excludes interest and depreciation, it isolates operating costs, and the change reflects the increase in operational expense I described, partially offset by the improvement in gross margin before depreciation. A full reconciliation to net loss is included in our quarterly report on Form 10-Q. Turning to the 3 months ended June 30, 2026, total revenue was approximately $583,000 compared to $1.3 million in the second quarter of 2025, a decrease of 54%. Cost of revenue was $1.2 million compared to $2.3 million, a decrease of 47%, driven by lower satellite and related software depreciation and reduced contractual material and labor costs. Gross loss was approximately $630,000 compared to $1 million, an improvement of 39%. Lower depreciation contributed approximately $514,000, and lower material and labor costs approximately $561,000, partially offset by the decline in revenue. Selling, general and administrative expenses were $5.1 million compared to $4.3 million, an increase of approximately $799,000 or 19%. Professional fees increased approximately $405,000 for various services, including the Chief Financial Officer transition. Payroll expenses increased approximately $226,000 with the remainder spread across other operating categories. Loss from operations was $5.7 million compared to $5.3 million. Net loss for the quarter was $4.8 million compared to $5.6 million, an improvement of approximately $844,000, or 15%. The improvement reflects other income and expense of approximately $911,000 this quarter compared to net expense of approximately $335,000 a year ago, driven by the elimination of asset-based loan expense and higher interest income. Adjusted EBITDA loss for the quarter was $5.1 million compared to a loss of $3.9 million. Adjusted EBITDA and net loss moved in opposite directions this quarter because adjusted EBITDA excludes the interest income and depreciation that drove the net loss improvement. What remains is operating performance. Gross profit before depreciation declined by approximately $117,000, and cash operating expenses increased by approximately $1 million. Now turning to the balance sheet, we entered 2026 with $43.2 million in cash. As of June 30, 2026, we had $166.5 million in cash and working capital of $167.6 million. Following full repayment of our asset-backed line of credit in January, we had no outstanding borrowings, which eliminated the associated interest expense and simplified our capital structure. During the first 6 months, we used $9.1 million of cash in operating activities and invested $7.3 million in property and equipment, principally, satellites under construction. During the quarter, we completed 2 best-effort registered direct offerings. On April 21, we closed an offering with gross proceeds of $58.5 million. And on May 29, an offering with gross proceeds of $100 million. Net proceeds from the 2 offerings were approximately $146.2 million, and we intend to use them for working capital and general corporate purposes. These offerings materially strengthen our liquidity position and give us the flexibility to deploy capital towards growth, protecting critical milestones, and driving operational efficiencies as we scale. Class A shares outstanding were 101,106,203 as of June 30, 2026, compared to 65,324,055 as of December 31, 2025. Taken together, the capital we have raised materially strengthens our balance sheet and reduces near-term financing risk. That gives us the financial flexibility to execute our growth strategy and continue investing in the platforms and the product lines we expect to drive recurring revenue in the periods ahead. Our capital allocation priorities are straightforward: continued investment in the commercialization of Fortis VPX and our AI hardware and software portfolio, expanding manufacturing capacity, strengthening business development and government capture efforts, accelerating next-generation satellite production, and building the operational infrastructure required to support large customer programs. We remain focused on improving gross margins, increasing recurring revenues, expanding operating leverage, and progressing towards sustainable positive cash flow. With that, I'll hand the call back to Carol for closing remarks.

Thanks, Alan. I want to close by putting this quarter in context. For several years, our job was to prove we could design, build, and fly our own spacecraft on a fraction of the capital our sector has consumed. We have taken LizzieSats from our own factory floor to orbit, and each one has taught us things the next one carries. That feedback loop is the point of building in-house. This quarter, we cleared environmental qualification on the mission that will carry Fortis VPX Maxima to space for the first time. The question in front of us now is a different one and a better one: how quickly we convert what we have built into customers, contracts, and recurring revenue? The capital we raised during the second quarter allows us to invest in product development, pursue larger contracts, and build our pipeline without being forced into decisions by near-term capital needs. It also gives us the flexibility to evaluate targeted investments in our technology and capabilities that could deepen our core competencies, expand our technology stack, and accelerate market access across key defense and commercial segments. Any such investment will be guided by a disciplined focus on economic merit and clear pathways to revenue growth and margin expansion, of course. I want to be equally direct about the challenges. Commercializing new technologies is never easy. Space missions are complex, government procurement cycles require patience, and market conditions will keep changing. Those realities are part of our business. What has changed is our stage of growth. The coming years will be defined not by prototypes or announcements, but by customer adoption, production programs, recurring revenue growth, expanding margins, disciplined execution, and responsible capital allocation. Those are the outcomes we are committed to delivering and the standards by which management expects to be measured. As I mentioned, you will also see us broaden our investor relations efforts with more frequent shareholder communications, enhanced earnings materials, increased participation in institutional investor conferences, and wider engagement with prospective investors. The goal is straightforward: ensure that the investment community understands both the progress we are making today and the long-term opportunity we are pursuing. We appreciate your interest in Sidus Space and the time you've taken to hear our results and outlook. If you have any additional questions or would like to follow up on any of the topics we have discussed, please don't hesitate to contact our investor relations team by email at investor-relations@sidusspace.com. We welcome your questions and we look forward to continuing the dialogue. A replay of today's webcast will be available on our Investor Relations website. Thank you again, and we look forward to updating you on our progress as the year continues.

The conference is now concluded. Thank you for attending today's presentation. You may now disconnect.