About
John Gedmark is an American aerospace engineer and entrepreneur best known as the co-founder and CEO of Astranis Space Technologies, a San Francisco-based company he launched in 2015 to build small, cost-effective geostationary satellites using software-defined radios to provide dedicated broadband connectivity worldwide. Under his leadership, Astranis has raised hundreds of millions in funding, launched its first commercial satellite Arcturus in 2023, secured contracts with customers in Alaska, the Philippines, Mexico, Thailand, Taiwan, and the U.S. government—including military applications—and scaled production toward dozens of satellites annually. Previously, Gedmark co-founded and led the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, advocating for commercial crew policies, and served as Director of Rocket Flight Operations for the X Prize Foundation. He holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering from Purdue University and an MS from Stanford University, focusing on rocket propulsion.