Redwire Corporation (NYSE: RDW) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Hera Systems, Inc., a spacecraft developer focused on specialized missions for national security space customers.
With the addition of Hera Systems’ cutting-edge platform, Redwire expects to strengthen its spacecraft portfolio and be well-equipped to support specialized National Security Space missions in GEO.
Founded in 2013, Hera Systems is a privately held company headquartered in San Jose, California, that focuses on developing a new class of high-performance spacecraft to support the evolving requirements for national security missions operating in contested space. Hera Systems’ advanced platform incorporates cyber-secure communications, resilient power systems, highly accurate pointing, extensive maneuverability and massive on-board computing power supporting mission- and payload-specific machine learning. In 2022, Hera Systems was contracted by Orion Space Solutions to develop three satellites for U.S. Space Force’s Tetra-5 mission—an on-orbit servicing demonstration in GEO.
Redwire has significantly increased its national security space business, recently announcing it was awarded a prime contract to develop and demonstrate a Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) spacecraft for DARPA’s Otter program. Redwire continues to support the warfighter as an antenna supplier for the Space Development Agency’s Transport Layer program dating back to Tranche 0 in 2020.
Hera Systems has experienced profitable topline growth, and for the year ended December 31, 2023, Hera recorded $15 million of revenue. Redwire will finance this acquisition with balance sheet liquidity and expects Hera Systems to add meaningfully to future growth and profitability. As part of this acquisition, which is expected to close in the third quarter, Redwire is adjusting its full-year 2024 guidance from $300 million in revenue to $310 million in revenue.
“Hera Systems’ platform is highly complementary with Redwire’s suite of national security space solutions,” said Peter Cannito, Chairman and CEO of Redwire. “Similar to our focus on VLEO platforms, we see increasing opportunities to unlock and deliver new solutions in MEO, GEO and other domains to support the warfighter and address critical needs in National Security Space. This transaction fits squarely within our growth strategy by adding significant capabilities to move up the value chain in select areas of emerging hybrid architectures.”
GH Partners LLC is serving as financial advisor and Hogan Lovells is serving as legal advisor to Redwire.