Max Polyakov hoping to find a diamond in the rough with the latest buy
Max Polyakov, an international space investor, has expanded his space holdings by acquiring a majority stake in satellite imaging manufacturer Dragonfly Aerospace through his investment firm Noosphere. The financial details behind the deal have not been voiced.
Why Does Acquiring Dragonfly Aerospace Make Sense?
Dragonfly Aerospace has proven the viability of its satellite cameras praised by clients for their ability to capture incredible images in a variety of resolutions and spectrums. The team from South Africa demonstrated their cameras in 2017 on the nSight-1 satellite just one year after working on the technology. Dragonfly’s satellite cameras have now been successfully used by various companies, including NanoAvionics and Loft Orbital, as well as Pixxel, the Indian startup.
The South African firm specializes in manufacturing imaging technology for small and microsatellites; this is a niche market that is booming and will continue to grow, according to experts’ predictions. By establishing themselves as a key player in this market, they are in a strong position to ride these predicted growth trends.
Dragonfly is a firm that has grand plans. The company is not content to just keep producing cameras as they have already begun gearing up to build their own small satellites. They hope to be able to produce forty-eight satellites per year within the next few years.
There is a synergy between Polyakov’s other space ventures and Dragonfly Aerospace. One of the largest space investors already owns imagery analytics company EOSDA and has a major share in a satellite launching company Firefly. He hopes to bring all of these companies together and offer businesses an end-to-end space solution, including building satellites, sending them to orbit, taking pictures, and processing data.
What Does the Future Hold for Max Polyakov?
2021 has been a hectic year for Max Polyakov. He has recently wrapped up venture capital funding for his rocket company, Firefly. The funding round saw the Austin (USA) based company achieve a valuation above $1 billion.
Firefly is currently getting ready to launch its very first rocket known as Alpha into Low Earth orbit. They are hoping to schedule the launch before the end of 2021. Firefly is also in the midst of building a larger scaled-up version of Alpha known as Beta. Firefly hopes its lightweight carbon-designed rockets can radically reduce the cost of sending satellites to space, which will decrease entry barriers and usher in a new satellite golden age.
Polyakov isn’t stopping there; he has plans to launch a constellation of satellites with his company EOSDA. The launch is set to take place in 2022 and will bring a constellation of seven satellites into space. EOSDA’s satellites will be equipped with Dragonfly’s world-class cameras. This satellite constellation aims to monitor the Earth’s surface to study agriculture and forestry practices in an attempt to limit overgrazing and deforestation.
Source:
https://spacenews.com/max-polyakov-buys-dragonfly-aerospace-to-fill-out-integrated-space-strategy/