Significant Accounting Policies

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2023

Fair Value Measurements

The Company evaluates assets and liabilities subject to fair value measurements on a recurring and non-recurring basis to determine the appropriate level to classify them for each reporting period. Fair value is the price that would be received from the sale of an asset or paid to transfer a liability assuming an orderly transaction in the most advantageous market at the measurement date. U.S. GAAP establishes a hierarchical disclosure framework which prioritizes and ranks the level of observability of inputs used in measuring fair value.

The fair value hierarchy consists of the following tiers:

•Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;

•Level 2, defined as observable inputs other than Level 1 prices such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities; and

•Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions.

The fair value estimates are based upon certain market assumptions and information available to the Company. The carrying values of the following financial instruments approximated their fair values as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022: (1) cash and cash equivalents, (2) prepaid expenses and other current assets, (3) accounts receivable, (4) accounts payable, and (5) accrued expenses and other current liabilities. Fair values approximate their carrying values because of their short-term nature. The Level 2 cash equivalents may include money market funds, commercial paper and short-term U.S. agency securities. The Company also classifies its derivative financial instruments as Level 2. The Company did not hold any Level 3 assets as of June 30, 2023 or December 31, 2022. In determining fair value, the Company uses a market approach utilizing valuation models that incorporate observable inputs such as interest rates, bond yields and quoted prices for similar assets.

Leases

For new leases, the Company will determine if an arrangement is or contains a lease at inception. Leases are included as (1) right-of-use (“ROU”) assets within other assets, and (2) ROU liabilities within accrued expenses and other liabilities and are included within other long-term liabilities on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheets.

ROU assets and liabilities are recognized at commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. Certain leases contain variable contractual obligations as a result of future base rate escalations which are estimated based on observed trends and included within the measurement of present value. The Company’s leases do not provide an implicit rate. The Company uses its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. The ROU assets also include any lease payments made and exclude lease incentives. Lease expense for lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

The Company has lease agreements with lease and non-lease components, which are generally accounted for separately. For certain leases, such as teleport network facilities, the Company elects the practical expedient to combine lease and non-lease

components as a single lease component. Taxes assessed on leases in which the Company is either a lessor or lessee are excluded from contract consideration and variable payments when measuring new lease contracts or remeasuring existing lease contracts.

Inventory

Inventory consists primarily of finished goods and raw materials from third-party manufacturers. The Company outsources manufacturing of subscriber equipment to third-party manufacturers and purchases accessories from third-party suppliers. The Company’s cost of inventory includes an allocation of overhead, including payroll and payroll-related costs of employees directly involved in bringing inventory to its existing condition, and freight. Inventories are valued using the weighted average cost method and are carried at the lower of cost or net realizable value.

The Company has a manufacturing agreement with Benchmark Electronics Inc. (“Benchmark”) to manufacture most of its subscriber equipment. Pursuant to the agreement, the Company may be required to purchase excess materials at cost plus a contractual markup if the materials are not used in production within the periods specified in the agreement. Benchmark will then repurchase such materials from the Company at the same price paid by the Company, as required for the production of the subscriber equipment.

The following table summarizes the Company’s inventory balances:


	June 30, 2023		December 31, 2022
	(In thousands)
Finished goods	$	31,866	$	17,964
Raw materials	24,800		23,014
Inventory valuation reserve	(904)		(1,202)
Total	$	55,762	$	39,776

Property and Equipment

The Company assesses its long-lived assets for impairment when indicators of impairment are present. During the quarter ended June 30, 2023, the Company successfully launched five of its remaining six ground spares. Following completion of successful on-orbit testing of the five launched satellites, the Company has no plans to use, develop or launch the remaining ground spare. As the Company believes the construction-in-progress associated with the remaining ground spare satellite will no longer be used, the Company wrote off the full amount remaining in construction-in-progress for that satellite by recording accelerated depreciation expense of $37.5 million, in the second quarter of 2023. This reflects the Company's updated estimate of the useful life from 12.5 years to zero for the remaining ground spare. There were no similar write-offs in 2022.

Commitments

During 2022, the Company entered into agreements with Space Exploration Technology Corp. and Thales Alenia Space France for launch and related services, to launch up to five of the Company’s ground spare satellites. The contract price under these agreements was approximately $40.0 million in the aggregate. As of June 30, 2023, the Company had made substantially all payments related to these services, which were capitalized as construction in progress within property and equipment, net in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Derivative Financial Instruments

The Company uses derivatives to manage its exposure to fluctuating interest rate risk on variable rate debt. Its derivatives are measured at fair value and are recorded on the condensed consolidated balance sheets within other current liabilities and other assets. When the Company’s derivatives are designated as cash flow hedges, the effective portion of the changes in fair value of the derivatives are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income within the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheets and subsequently recognized in earnings when the hedged items impact earnings. Any ineffective portion of a derivative’s change in fair value will be recognized in earnings in the same period in which the hedged interest payments affect earnings. Within the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income, the gains and losses related to cash flow hedges are recognized within interest income (expense), net, as this is the same financial statement line item used for any gains or losses associated with the hedged items. Cash flows from hedging activities are included in operating activities within the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of cash flows, which is the same category as the item being hedged. See Note 6 for further information.