Via Satellite presents six nominees for the 2022 Satellite Executive of the Year award, to be announced at the Via Satellite awards luncheon on March 15 at SATELLITE 2023.
Melanie Stricklan, CEO of Slingshot Aerospace — Led Slingshot through a blockbuster 2022: two acquisitions (Numerica’s SDA division and Seradata) and two funding rounds. Rolled out a free collision alert tool to the industry. A 21-year Air Force veteran, she was selected by VP Harris for the National Space Council’s Users Advisory Group.
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Peter Beck, CEO of Rocket Lab — Realized his vision of an end-to-end space company, with Space Systems revenue now outpacing launch. Landed major contracts with MDA (Globalstar bus), Inmarsat, NASA, and Varda Space. Achieved ~200% year-over-year revenue growth, beating original SPAC projections. Inaugurated a second launch complex in Virginia.
Dirk Wallinger, President & CEO of York Space Systems — Led York to three major SDA contracts including a $382 million T1TL satellite contract at roughly half the price of aerospace primes. Sold a majority stake to AE Industrial Partners in a deal valuing York over $1 billion. Workforce grew 300% and revenues grew 250%+ year-over-year.
Brian O’Toole, CEO of BlackSky Technology — Led BlackSky to its largest deal ever: selection by the NRO for a contract potentially worth over $1 billion over 10 years, alongside Maxar. Revenue nearly doubled year-over-year. Also won JAIC AI dataset contract with a $241 million ceiling.
Jay Monroe, Chairman of Globalstar — Negotiated the landmark Apple partnership, making Globalstar the satellite backbone for iPhone 14 emergency messaging — a $450 million Apple investment — already saving lives and elevating the satellite industry’s profile.
Will Marshall, CEO of Planet — Led Planet to an NRO EOCL contract, diverse commercial partnerships, and fiscal year revenue on pace with original SPAC projections (45% growth). Unveiled the Tanager hyperspectral constellation. Planet’s constellation spans over 200 satellites and 800+ customers. VS
