On July 22, Vast announced the appointment of Melanie Stricklan, co-founder and former CEO of Slingshot Aerospace and a 21-year U.S. Air Force veteran, as senior vice president of special programs. The new division will deliver space-based capabilities for the U.S. national security enterprise, including the defense and intelligence communities.
“Melanie brings to Vast more than two decades of experience at the intersection of advanced technology, national security, and commercial space,” said Max Haot, CEO of Vast. “She is joining Vast at a pivotal moment as we develop in-house, high-performance technologies with direct applications for the U.S. defense and intelligence communities.”
Stricklan co-founded and led Slingshot Aerospace, a global leader in space intelligence and autonomy. Prior to Slingshot, she served 21 years in the U.S. Air Force spanning advanced space systems development and testing, acquisitions, operations and national security leadership. Most recently, she led innovation and strategic growth at Space Foundation, where she built Space Workforce for Tomorrow (SWFT) into a national space industry coalition.
“The pace of technological innovation is accelerating, and America’s leadership in space will depend on its ability to develop and deploy new capabilities faster than ever before,“ said Stricklan. “Vast combines proven spaceflight expertise, advanced manufacturing, and a mission-first mindset to support the United States’ most critical national security missions in low Earth orbit and beyond.”
Vast’s Special Programs division draws on the company’s commercial platforms, cutting-edge engineering, and vertically integrated advanced manufacturing, operating across classified and unclassified programs to deliver resilient, U.S.-built, mission-critical systems on commercial timelines and at commercial cost.
Source: Vast
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