Whilst acknowledging that they may be able to consistently reduce the intensity of the boom (depends upon your interpretation of a “sonic boom”), I’ve yet to be convinced that they can achieve “non-audible.” In fact, I’d bet against it.
DW From: Tom Ronell via Mifnet <mifnet@lists.mifnet.com> Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 5:37 AM To: mifnet@lists.mifnet.com Cc: Tom Ronell <tron...@verizon.net> Subject: [Mifnet 🛰 73002] Re: Heard in the Hangar #294 Exciting news from Planet Labs, Rocket Lab and Boom Supersonic Seems to me that “without causing disruptive noise at ground level” and “provided the aircraft does not produce an audible sonic boom” might be quite different things and a bit early to celebrate, as I would think that there is a lot of space between “not audible” and “disruptive”. TR From: Mifnet Admin via Mifnet <mifnet@lists.mifnet.com <mailto:mifnet@lists.mifnet.com> > Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 2:17 AM To: mifnet@lists.mifnet.com <mailto:mifnet@lists.mifnet.com> Cc: admin.mif...@mifnet.com <mailto:admin.mif...@mifnet.com> Subject: [Mifnet 🛰 73000] Heard in the Hangar #294 Exciting news from Planet Labs, Rocket Lab and Boom Supersonic Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s space junk. Where’s Mega-Maid when we need her? Space junk, also known as space debris, is any human-made object in Earth’s orbit that no longer serves a useful purpose, including defunct satellites, spent rocket stages, and fragments from collisions or explosions. The growing amount of space junk poses a significant risk to active satellites, spacecraft, astronauts, and even people on Earth – a hunk of space junk streaked across the Southeast’s sky last week and smashed into a Georgia home, officials said. The European Union is taking urgent steps to prevent space from becoming an orbiting scrapheap when the European Commission revealed plans for a sweeping new Space Act on June 25th that aims to tighten regulation of satellite operators, forcing them to take more responsibility for the growing mess above Earth, including large fines for those who fail to comply. Our favorite Space Race 3.0 ideas, in order, are: 1. Planet Labs PBC 2. Rocket Lab Corporation 3. Northrop Grumman Corporation 4. L3Harris Technologies Planet Labs PBC ( PL $6.85) stock skyrocketed to $7.50 before ending the week at $6.85 after the company announced that it secured four major awards for its new AI-enabled solutions with customers in the Defense & Intelligence sector, including: * $282 million from the German government to provide imagery from its high-res Pelican satellites; * A deal with DIU to provide AI-enabled alerts for US Indo-Pacific Command; * A separate seven-figure expansion to provide the US Navy with maritime intelligence in the Pacific; * An extension of Planet’s deal with the NRO’s Electro-Optical Commercial Layer contract through October. Trading at $6.85, with a market cap of $1.8 billion, Planet Labs is being valued at a fraction of Earth Observation and Intelligence peer, Maxar Technologies, which was acquired by Advent International for an enterprise value of $6.4 billion in 2023 and our proprietary DCF analysis price target of $12, assuming $12 billion revenue by FY 2040 and adjusted EBITDA margin of 50%. Rocket Lab Corporation ( RKLB $35.66) stock increased to $38 before ending the week at $35.66 after the company was added to the Russell Midcap Growth Index effective June 30th driven by combination of growth potential, expanding contract wins, and its strategic position in both commercial and defense and intelligence sectors. The company’s Electron rocket has built a track record of reliable, cost-efficient launches, and its reusable Neutron rocket, now in development, is expected to compete with SpaceX in the heavier launch segment beginning in 2025. Trading $35.66, with a market value of $16.4 billion, the stock is trading at a fraction of the value of rival SpaceX’s $350 billion, and well below its intrinsic value of $50, based on our proprietary DCF analysis, assuming total revenue of $50 billion and adjusted EBITDA margin of 60% by 2035. Meanwhile, back on Earth…our favorite global airline ideas, in order, are: 1. Southwest Airlines 2. Delta Air Lines 3. Alaska Air Group 4. United Airlines Holdings 5. Volaris 6. Sun Country Airlines 7. American Airlines Group 8. Ryanair Holdings plc. 9. Frontier Group Holdings FTAI Aviation is our favorite idea in Aviation Services. Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation are our favorite ideas in the eVTOL industry. Also, in this issue of the Heard in the Hangar are our takeaways on ALK, AAL, RYAAY, FTAI, ACHR, JOBY, Boom Supersonic, and JetZero. President Trump signed an executive order directing the FAA to lift the 52-year old ban on civilian supersonic flight over U.S. land provided the aircraft does not produce an audible sonic boom, setting the stage for a new era of faster commercial air travel. Advances in aircraft design, propulsion systems, and materials science have made it possible to fly faster than Mach 1 without causing disruptive noise at ground level. Boom’s XB-1 demonstrator aircraft has already broken the sound barrier multiple times without generating an audible boom, proving that quiet supersonic travel is feasible. Once regulations are updated, Boom’s Overture jet could fly at speeds up to Mach 1.3 over land which is 50% faster than current aircraft and reducing U.S. coast-to-coast flight times by up to 90 minutes. As nations like China invest in next-generation aircraft, the United States is now poised to lead the return to commercial supersonic travel – quieter, faster, and more efficient than ever.
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