# Ryan McLinko

> Ryan McLinko is the co-founder and CTO of Astranis Space Technologies, a San Francisco-based company building compact, software-defined geostationary satellites to bring affordable broadband to underserved regions worldwide. An MIT-trained aerospace engineer who cut his teeth on cubesats at Planet Labs and the Dream Chaser spaceplane at Sierra Nevada, McLinko co-founded Astranis in 2015 with CEO John Gedmark. The company has since launched five satellites, secured over $1.2 billion in funding including a $450M Series E in May 2026, and been named Prime Contractor for multiple U.S. Space Force programs — all while being valued at $2.8 billion.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CTO at Astranis Space Technologies
- **Organizations:** Astranis Space Technologies, SEDS-USA, Y Combinator, MIT
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science, Aerospace Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Master of Science, Aerospace Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- **Known for:** Co-founded Astranis, which has grown to 520 employees and $2.8B valuation, Led engineering for five satellites currently on orbit, Arcturus satellite exceeded throughput spec: 8.5 Gbit/s vs. designed 7.5 Gbit/s

## Career timeline

- **2005-2009** — Undergraduate at MIT; MIT Rocket Team; Mars Gravity Biosatellite project; Google Lunar X PRIZE (TALARIS team)
- **2007** — Summer internship at Infoscitex Corporation
- **2009-2011** — MIT Master's degree; thesis on low-cost, rapid-development satellites
- **2011-2012** — Systems Engineer at Sierra Nevada Corporation; developed flight control systems for the Dream Chaser spaceplane
- **2012-2015** — Spacecraft Engineer and Lead of Mechanical/Electrical Engineering teams at Planet Labs; helped design over 100 cubesats
- **2015** — Co-founded Astranis Space Technologies with John Gedmark
- **2016** — Astranis accepted into Y Combinator (W16)
- **2018** — Astranis launched DemoSat-2, a 3U CubeSat prototype on India's PSLV-XL rocket
- **2023** — Astranis launched Arcturus, the world's first commercial MicroGEO satellite, for Pacific Dataport in Alaska
- **2024** — Astranis launched four MicroGEO satellites on a dedicated Falcon 9 for Philippines and North America mobility markets
- **2026-05** — Astranis announced $450M Series E (co-led by Snowpoint Ventures and Franklin Templeton); company valued at $2.8B; total raised exceeds $1.2B

## Achievements

- Co-founded Astranis, which has grown to 520 employees and $2.8B valuation
- Led engineering for five satellites currently on orbit
- Arcturus satellite exceeded throughput spec: 8.5 Gbit/s vs. designed 7.5 Gbit/s
- Built Astranis into a U.S. Space Force Prime Contractor for PTS-G, Resilient GPS, and Andromeda programs
- Secured over $1 billion in commercial contract backlog
- MIT Rocket Team and Mars Gravity Biosatellite participant
- Google Lunar X PRIZE competitor (TALARIS project)
- SEDS-USA Board of Trustees and Board of Advisors member
- Speaker at SpaceVision and other space conferences
- MIT Aerospace Innovation Seminar speaker (September 2024)

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Astranis raised $450M Series E led by Snowpoint Ventures and Franklin Templeton, plus a $155M credit facility from Trinity Capital; total capital raised exceeds $1.2B; company valued at $2.8B
- **2024-12** — Astranis launched four MicroGEO satellites on a dedicated SpaceX Falcon 9 mission for customers in the Philippines and North America mobility markets
- **2024-09** — Ryan McLinko delivered the MIT Aerospace Innovation Seminar, returning to his alma mater to discuss Astranis and the future of small GEO satellites
- **2023-01** — Astranis deployed Arcturus (Aurora 4A), the world's first commercial MicroGEO satellite, achieving 8.5 Gbit/s throughput for Pacific Dataport in Alaska

## Links

- Website: https://astranis.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mclinkor

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ryan-mclinko
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-23