US Space Launch Company Discloses Potential Export Control Violation
A U.S. aerospace company said it may have violated U.S. export controls when it shared a photograph of one of its controlled components. The company, Astra, which offers satellite space launch services, submitted an initial voluntary disclosure to the “appropriate regulatory authority” but hasn’t yet heard back, it said in a July SEC filing.
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Astra said that after it submitted the initial disclosure, it asked for DOD approval to release the photo of the component publicly. The company said DOD granted the request June 24. Because of the approval, Astra said it plans to “seek the closure of our voluntary disclosure notification with the regulatory agency to whom it was submitted.”
But the company said it still “could be found to be in violation” of U.S. export control laws and could be subject to “criminal, monetary and non-monetary penalties, the loss of export or import privileges, debarment and reputational harm.” The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security recently revoked the export privileges for three U.S. companies after they illegally shared controlled technical drawings and blueprints of defense and space technologies to companies in China (see 2206080068).