Globalstar (GSAT) risk factors, FY2025 10-K

Globalstar's FY2025 10-K, filed Feb 27, 2026, lists 43 risk factors in 3 groups. Against the prior year's 45: 2 new, 4 dropped, 14 substantially reworded.

Risk factors listed
433 groups
New this year
2vs 45 last year
Dropped
4since the prior 10-K
Substantially reworded
14of those kept
Section length
13k wordsItem 1A

What the changes say

  • Delays in replacement satellite deliveries from MDA Space threaten Phase 2 services and revenue under Updated Services Agreements.
  • Increased US tariffs and changing trade policies raise equipment and manufacturing costs.
  • Debt obligations total $410.0 million alongside $708.6 million in Infrastructure Prepayment.

What changed since the prior 10-K

New

  • NewRisks Related to Our Business

    We may not be able to successfully or timely launch satellites, including due to construction and delivery delays, to support the Phase 2 Service Period or Services provided over the Extended MSS Network under the Updated Services Agreements

    Delivery delays of replacement satellites from MDA Space have postponed our launch schedule to the first half of 2026, risking revenue and compliance under the Updated Services Agreements.

  • NewRisks Related to Our Business

    Services Agreements, a substantial portion of which are reimbursed to us

    As of December 31, 2025, our debt totaled $410.0 million alongside $708.6 million under the Infrastructure Prepayment and $149.4 million in Series A Preferred Stock.

Dropped

  • DroppedRisks Related to Our Business

    Delays in the launch of new satellites could negatively impact our future operations and financial results, including the requirements under the Updated Services Agreements. When we launch satellites, we may experience launch or deployment failures, which subject us to additional risks and losses

  • DroppedRisks Related to Our Business

    financial condition or results of operations. We do not maintain any product recall insurance, so any product recall we are required to initiate could have a significant impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows

  • DroppedRisks Related to Our Common Stock

    We cannot predict the ultimate effect that our reverse stock split or transfer of the listing of our common stock to the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC will have on the market price for and the liquidity of shares of our common stock

  • DroppedRisks Related to Our Common Stock

    There can be no assurance that we will continue to satisfy the continued listing standards of the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC following the reverse stock split and listing transfer

Reworded

  • 73% rewrittenRisks Related to Our Business

    Our financing arrangements may adversely affect our cash flow and our ability to operate our business, including our ability to incur additional indebtedness

    Updated cash balances and debt figures to December 31, 2025, showing $447.5 million in cash, and updated funding and prepayment facility names.

  • 70% rewrittenRisks Related to Government Regulations

    Changes in international trade regulations and other risks associated with foreign trade could adversely affect our sourcing from foreign manufacturers

    Added specific mention of recent 2025 and 2026 tariff policy changes and volatility impacting gross margins on foreign manufactured products.

  • 64% rewrittenRisks Related to Our Business

    Product Liability Insurance and Product Replacement or Recall Costs

    Restored language regarding lack of product recall insurance and legal claims for SPOT devices in dangerous locations.

  • 62% rewrittenRisks Related to Government Regulations

    Other future regulatory decisions could reduce our existing spectrum allocation or impose additional spectrum sharing agreements on us, which could adversely affect our services and operations

    Updated competing MSS operators by replacing CDMA references with China's Beidou system.

  • 47% rewrittenRisks Related to Our Business

    Lack of availability and increased costs of equipment, component parts, and other materials required to operate our business could delay or adversely impact our operations

    Added tariffs as a specific cause of increased component and equipment prices and supply chain cost impacts.

    Was: Lack of availability of equipment, component parts, and other materials required to operate our business could delay or adversely impact our operations

  • 47% rewrittenRisks Related to Our Common Stock

    The future issuance of additional shares of our common stock could cause dilution of ownership interests and adversely affect our stock price

    Updated common stock share counts and outstanding figures as of December 31, 2025, reflecting 128 million shares outstanding.

  • 39% rewrittenRisks Related to Our Business

    Uncertain global macro-economic and political conditions could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition

    Added tariffs to macroeconomic risk factors impacting customer spending and operating costs.

  • 38% rewrittenRisks Related to Our Business

    The actual orbital lives of our satellites may be shorter than we anticipate, and we may be required to reduce available capacity on our satellite network

    Removed parenthetical reference regarding propellant used during orbit raising for newly-launched satellites.

  • 27% rewrittenRisks Related to Our Business

    Our business will be negatively impacted if we fail to adequately anticipate our satellite capacity needs or are unable to obtain satellite network capacity

  • 23% rewrittenRisks Related to Our Business

    We are materially reliant on a limited number of key suppliers

  • 22% rewrittenRisks Related to Our Business

    The implementation of our business plan and our ability to generate income from operations assume we are able to maintain a satellite network capable of providing commercially acceptable levels of coverage and service quality, which are contingent on a number of factors, many of which are out of our control

  • 22% rewrittenRisks Related to Our Business

    Our satellites are exposed to a wide and unique range of risks, including collisions with space debris and other LEO satellites, natural disasters and other extreme space weather events, all of which could adversely affect the performance of our constellation

    Was: Our satellites are exposed to a wide and unique range of risks, including collisions with space debris, natural disasters and other extreme space weather events, all of which could adversely affect the performance of our constellation

  • 21% rewrittenRisks Related to Our Business

    Spectrum values historically have been volatile, and may again be volatile in the future, which could cause the value of our business to fluctuate

  • 21% rewrittenRisks Related to Our Common Stock

    There is a limited market for our common stock and our stock price may be volatile or may be subject to short selling

All 43 risk factors

Headings as the filing states them, in filing order.

Risks Related to Our Business

  1. 01Revenue under the Updated Services Agreements constitutes a majority of our current revenue, and there is no assurance that we will receive the revenue expected under the Updated Services Agreements
  2. 02If we experience disruptions with respect to our gateways or operations centers, we may not be able to provide service to our customers
  3. 03The actual orbital lives of our satellites may be shorter than we anticipate, and we may be required to reduce available capacity on our satellite network38% rewritten
  4. 04Our satellites are exposed to a wide and unique range of risks, including collisions with space debris and other LEO satellites, natural disasters and other extreme space weather events, all of which could adversely affect the performance of our constellation22% rewritten
  5. 05The implementation of our business plan and our ability to generate income from operations assume we are able to maintain a satellite network capable of providing commercially acceptable levels of coverage and service quality, which are contingent on a number of factors, many of which are out of our control22% rewritten
  6. 06We may not be able to successfully or timely launch satellites, including due to construction and delivery delays, to support the Phase 2 Service Period or Services provided over the Extended MSS Network under the Updated Services AgreementsNew
  7. 07The implementation of our business plan depends on increased demand for wireless communications services via satellite and terrestrial mobile broadband networks, both for existing and new services and products
  8. 08Our business will be negatively impacted if we fail to adequately anticipate our satellite capacity needs or are unable to obtain satellite network capacity27% rewritten
  9. 09Rapid and significant technological changes in the satellite communications industry and our ability to service, upgrade and replace our equipment when needed may impair our competitive position and require us to make significant capital expenditures
  10. 10Satellite-based Competitors
  11. 11Terrestrial Broadband Network Competitors and Other Spectrum Owners
  12. 12Uncertain global macro-economic and political conditions could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition39% rewritten
  13. 13Lack of availability and increased costs of equipment, component parts, and other materials required to operate our business could delay or adversely impact our operations47% rewritten
  14. 14We are materially reliant on a limited number of key suppliers23% rewritten
  15. 15Our business is capital intensive. We may not be able to raise adequate capital on reasonable terms to finance our business strategies, or we may be able to do so only on terms that significantly restrict our ability to operate our business
  16. 16Our business depends on technical knowledge, and we base our business plan in part on our ability to keep up with new technological developments and incorporate them in our products and services. We own or have the right to use our patents, work products, inventions, designs, software, systems and similar know-how
  17. 17We face special risks by doing business in international markets and developing markets, including currency and expropriation risks, which could increase our costs or reduce our revenues in these areas
  18. 18Our financing arrangements may adversely affect our cash flow and our ability to operate our business, including our ability to incur additional indebtedness73% rewritten
  19. 19Services Agreements, a substantial portion of which are reimbursed to usNew
  20. 20Refer to Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Liquidity and Capital Resources below for further discussion
  21. 21Restrictive covenants in our financing arrangements may limit our operating and financial flexibility and our inability to comply with these covenants could have significant implications
  22. 22Our networks and those of our third-party service providers and customers may be vulnerable to cyber-attacks and other security breaches, which could have significant negative consequences
  23. 23We may be unable to obtain and maintain our insurance coverages, and the insurance we obtain may not cover all risks for which we have exposure. As a result, we may incur material uninsured or under-insured losses
  24. 24Product Liability Insurance and Product Replacement or Recall Costs64% rewritten
  25. 25General Liability Insurance In-Orbit Exposures
  26. 26Spectrum values historically have been volatile, and may again be volatile in the future, which could cause the value of our business to fluctuate21% rewritten
  27. 27We operate in many tax jurisdictions, and changes in tax rates or adverse results of tax examinations could materially increase our costs
  28. 28We are exposed to trade credit risk in the ordinary course of our business activities
  29. 29We have been in the past from time to time, and may be in the future, subject to litigation and investigations that could have a substantial, adverse impact on our business

Risks Related to Government Regulations

  1. 30Our business is subject to extensive government regulation that are subject to change and interpretation, compliance with which will impact our future success
  2. 31Our global operations expose us to trade and economic sanctions, other restrictions, liabilities and exposure to penalties imposed by the United States, the European Union and other governments and organizations
  3. 32Our business plan to use our licensed MSS spectrum to provide terrestrial wireless services depends upon our ability to maintain and expand our terrestrial authority as well as certain actions by third parties, which we cannot control
  4. 33Other future regulatory decisions could reduce our existing spectrum allocation or impose additional spectrum sharing agreements on us, which could adversely affect our services and operations62% rewritten
  5. 34If the FCC, our French regulator, or any other regulator, revokes, modifies or fails to renew or amend our licenses, our ability to operate may be limited
  6. 35Changes in international trade regulations and other risks associated with foreign trade could adversely affect our sourcing from foreign manufacturers70% rewritten
  7. 36Emerging and unsettled data privacy laws expose us to substantial risks

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

  1. 37Restrictive covenants in our financing arrangements restrict our ability to pay dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future, which may affect the market for our shares
  2. 38There is a limited market for our common stock and our stock price may be volatile or may be subject to short selling21% rewritten
  3. 39The future issuance of additional shares of our common stock could cause dilution of ownership interests and adversely affect our stock price47% rewritten
  4. 40We have issued and may issue shares of preferred stock or debt securities with greater rights than our common stock
  5. 41We are controlled by Thermo, whose interests may conflict with yours
  6. 42In addition, Thermo has guaranteed certain of our obligations related to the Updated Services Agreements and has received the right to purchase shares of our common stock under the warrant issued to them as consideration for providing such guarantee
  7. 43Provisions in our charter documents, financing arrangements, customer contracts and Delaware corporate law may discourage takeovers, which could affect the rights of holders of our common stock

Other Globalstar 10-Ks

  • FY2024 10-K risk factors
    45 risks

    Customer concentration under the Updated Services Agreements accounts for 58% of revenue. Operations face intense capital requirements, satellite launch risks, and strict spectrum regulations. Financing arrangements and restrictive covenants limit financial flexibility.

    Filed Feb 28, 2025

About this page

The headings are the filing's own. The one-line readings and the overview are automated and can be wrong: read Item 1A of the 10-K for the exact wording.