Ryan Westerdahl

Ryan Westerdahl is an American aerospace engineer and entrepreneur best known as the co-founder and CEO of Turion Space, an Irvine, California-based startup launched in 2020 (YC S21) that builds autonomous "Droid" spacecraft for space domain awareness, orbital debris removal, satellite servicing, and long-term ambitions in asteroid mining. A former SpaceX propulsion dynamicist (2013–2021) with 8.5 years contributing to vehicle analysis, anomaly resolution, and certification, Westerdahl has led Turion to launch its first Droid.001 satellite in 2023, secure U.S. Space Force contracts (including $1.9M for debris-capture tech), raise over $26M in funding, grow to 70+ employees, and win selection for major government programs—positioning the company as a key player in sustainable space infrastructure and national security.