CFIUS

Firefly halts launch preparations after federal government seeks divestment of foreign ownership
Firefly Aerospace is pausing preparations for its next Alpha launch, originally scheduled for early 2022, after the government asked its largest shareholder to divest its stake for national security reasons.

Orbital Sidekick finalizes $16 million round led by Temasek
Orbital Sidekick announced a $16 million Series A funding round April 13 led by Singapore investment giant Temasek that clears the way for the company to complete development of its first constellation of hyperspectral imaging satellites.

Momentus founders to divest shares after Defense Department concerns
The Russian founders of in-space transportation company Momentus have placed their shares into a voting trust and will sell them in the next three years as the company attempts to address U.S. government concerns about its foreign ownership.

Spaceflight Industries completes rideshare divestiture
Spaceflight Industries has completed the sale of its satellite rideshare business, Spaceflight Inc., to a pair of Japanese companies following a U.S. regulatory review and the modification of an Intelsat loan.

Why Cloud Constellation turned down $100 million
In December, Cloud Constellation was finalizing receipt of a $100 million investment that would help the startup deploy a ring of secure data-storage satellites in low Earth orbit. By spring, Cloud Constellation had walked away from the deal, citing a review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, as one of the reasons.

The torture of CFIUS: A 2018 law is changing the way space industry startups raise money
The U.S. Treasury Department hasn’t issued final regulations implementing the 2018 Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act, but space industry entrepreneurs already feel the law’s effect.