The U.S. government is the driving force for the rapid deployment of laser communication capabilities, currently, and as such also a catalyst for the adoption by commercial stakeholders. The Space Development Agency alone is expected to procure up to 150 satellites equipped with laser communication capabilities in 2021 as part of its Tranche 1 Transport layer and Mynaric is seeing increased interest from the sector following its selection for two U.S. governmental programs last year.
 

"The industrial age of laser communication is now upon us and the company that can carry the benefits of laser communication to both the commercial and government sector - and support that message with cost-efficient and readily available high specification products - will be the company that will shape the future of airborne and spaceborne communication networks. I believe Mynaric is that company, and today's announcement demonstrates our commitment to dominate this market for years to come."
- Bulent Altan, CEO, Mynaric

Mynaric has also appointed five highly-experienced professionals from the pinnacle of the aerospace industry to its global sales, business development and program management team to cement, and expand, the company's position as one of the leading laser communication manufacturers capable of equipping both the commercial and government sectors.
 

Mynaric's Washington office will be led by Jackson Kemper III, formerly of Tresys, Inmarsat, and Iridium, and Ali Younis, formerly of SES, Intelsat, and Astranis, who will head - respectively - US government sales and US commercial sales.
 

Mynaric's sales and business development team focusing on the rest of the world will be led by Hanna Steplewska, who serves as our VP of Sales and Business Development, based in Munich. Hanna brings over two decades of global experience in similar functions at Virgin Orbit, Stratolaunch and Ruag.
 

Aerospace industry veteran Mike Reiss, who has previously been with Boeing, Thales, Panasonic, Rockwell Collins and Hughes Aircraft will serve from our Hawthorne, California office as VP of Program Management and Operations.
 

Ralph Emerson serves as VP of Account Management and is also based in California. Ralph brings 11 years of experience from PlaneWave where he oversaw the company's entry into the laser communication market.
 

The aerospace connectivity market for laser communication is now crystalizing into distinct strands, with particular requirements: be it government or commercial sector; be it spaceborne or airborne; be it communication or surveillance. Today's announcement reflects Mynaric's commitment to these market segments, with individuals who bring a demonstrable focus on customer success and delivery in their own sphere of experience and ability.
 

"To win just one of these incredibly talented individuals would be a coup; to win all five places Mynaric with one of - if not 'the' - strongest sales and customer service teams in the aerospace connectivity market."
- Tina Ghataore, President, Mynaric USA
 

Notes to editors
 

1. Biographies for the full senior team that Mynaric is introducing today is as follows:

• Hanna Steplewska, who joins as VP, Sales and Business Development, is based in Munich and will approach governmental and commercial in EMEA and APAC. Hanna has over 20 years of industry experience in high resolution satellite imaging, space launch services and launch vehicle component manufacturing. Hanna's prior appointments include operations and senior business development roles at GeoEye, DigitalGlobe, Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit, RUAG Space USA and the late Paul Allen's Stratolaunch, where she was Vice President of Business Development.

• Mike Reiss, who joins as VP, Program Management and Operations, is based in Los Angeles and takes responsibility for program delivery to ensure customer success from contract to deployment. He has been an executive leader in the aerospace industry for over three decades for both commercial and military programs and boasts a career including senior level positions at Boeing, Thales, Panasonic, Rockwell Collins and Hughes Aircraft.

• Jackson Kemper III, who joins as VP, US Government Sales, is located in Washington D.C. and leads customer acquisition in the rapidly expanding US governmental market. With previous positions at Tresys, Inmarsat, Iridium, Mike brings with him 20 years unrivalled experience of the US security and government satellite communication domain.

• Ali Younis, who joins as VP, US Commercial Sales, works from Los Angeles and spearheads customer acquisition in the US commercial space market. Ali's 10 years' experience and know-how have been garnered at industry leading companies such as SES, Intelsat, Astranis where he gained invaluable insights working with both legacy and new players on the commercial satellite domain.

• Ralph Emerson, who joins as VP, Account Management, possesses over 11 years' experience in the optical astronomy equipment industry. As VP of Sales and Marketing for PlaneWave Instruments he championed the company's entry into the laser communication optical ground station market and his prior experience includes equivalent sales and marketing positions for several high profile American companies.

2. Photographs of Jackson, Ali, Hanna, Ralph and Mike are available on request from the Mynaric press office.

About Mynaric

Mynaric is a manufacturer of laser communication technologies used to enable communication and surveillance applications in air and space. Its laser data transmission products include ground and flight terminals, which allow very large quantities of data to be sent wirelessly and securely over long distances between aircraft, autonomous drones, high-altitude platforms, satellites and the ground.

Globally, the need for fast and secure connectivity is advancing inexorably. Data networks are today largely based on infrastructure on the ground, which cannot be expanded arbitrarily for legal, economic or practical reasons. The future therefore calls for an expansion of the existing network infrastructure into air and space. With its laser data transmission products Mynaric is positioned as a pioneer in this growth market.

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Important information

Some of the information in this announcement may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of the Company. You can identify forward looking statements by terms such as "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "will," "could," "may" or "might," or, in each case, the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. We wish to caution you that these statements are only predictions and that actual events or results may differ materially. We do not intend to update these statements to reflect events and circumstances occurring after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Many factors could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in our projections or forward-looking statements, including, among others, general economic conditions, our competitive environment, risks associated with our industry, as well as many other risks specifically related to the Company and its operations.