Melanie Stricklan

In 2017, Melanie Stricklan combined her military experience and love of space to co-found Slingshot Aerospace. Prior to founding Slingshot, she proudly served in the United States Air Force for 21 years, during which she logged over 1500 flight hours onboard ground surveillance aircraft, commanded over 200 experimental spacecraft missions, and led the development of space control technologies for the Department of Defense.

Awards and Service: Serves on Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC). Named one of Inc. Magazine’s 2019 Top 100 Female Founders in the United States. She also serves on the Engineering Advisory Council for the University of Texas - Austin.