Astra defaults on debt agreement, may not be able to raise needed cash

Struggling space company Astra disclosed in a securities filing late Friday that it defaulted on a recent debt agreement and may not be able to raise needed cash as funds dwindle.

Astra twice last month failed to meet minimum cash reserve requirements associated with a $12.5 million note issuance to New Jersey investment group High Trail Capital.

The debt raise first required that Astra have “at least $15.0 million of cash and cash equivalents” on hand. That liquidity requirement was adjusted after Astra failed to prove compliance a first time, to require “at least $10.5 million of unrestricted, unencumbered cash and cash equivalents.”

Having fallen out of compliance a second time, Astra now owes $8 million on the aggregate principal investment.

While the company is “in continued discussions with a number of other investors,” it warned it “can provide no assurance that it will be able to consummate any additional transaction in a timely manner, or at all.”

Shares of Astra were little changed in after hours trading from their close of about 92 cents a share. The company performed a 1-for-15 reverse stock split in September to avoid a Nasdaq delisting, which temporarily brought Astra stock above $1 a share.

The company cut 25% of its workforce in early August to shift focus from its rocket development to its spacecraft engine production. It’s expected to report third-quarter results after market close on Nov. 13.