Low Earth Orbit (LEO) direct-to-device satellite firm Lynk Global has announced a new chief executive officer.
The company this month announced the appointment of Ramu Potarazu as CEO, taking over from interim CEO Dan Dooley, who is resuming the position of chief commercial officer.
Potarazu was at satellite operator Intelsat for some 15 years between 1991 and 2006, where he was COO. He was most recently CEO of media management software company EditShare.
“I believe Lynk’s patented technology has redefined the future of the satellite and telecommunications industries by developing proprietary satellite technologies, connectivity capabilities, and seamless solutions that can connect everyone, everywhere,” said Potarazu. “From 2G to 5G and to the next frontier, the goal is for Lynk to be at the forefront of satellite-to-device technology. We believe Lynk is well-positioned, with a solid foundation with 45 commercial contracts to provide coverage in approximately 50 countries as of today.”
Dooley had only taken on the role of CEO in September, with former CEO and co-founder Charles Miller becoming Lynk’s chairman of the board. Dooley was not described as an interim CEO at the time.
Update: Lynk reached out to DCD to say that Dooley was appointed as CEO only in an interim capacity, but did not specify that at the time.
Lynk has also appointed Steven Fay as CFO; both he and Potarazu have been appointed to Lynk’s board of directors. Fay was previously deputy CFO at OneWeb, and was head of LEO satellite operations at Google before that.
The company said the appointments received unanimous approval following a search led by the Lynk Board in partnership with the leadership of Slam Corp. Lynk is undergoing a merger with Slam Corp, a special purpose acquisition company, to become a publicly-listed company.
Cell-tower-in-space firm Lynk currently has five small satellites in LEO. The company has signed commercial agreements with more than 40 MNOs covering more than 50 countries, including Spark in New Zealand, Vodafone Ghana, Globe Telecom in the Philippines, Telecel’s Centrafrique in the Central African Republic, Rogers in Canada, TPG in Australia, Telikom in Papua New Guinea, and the US government.
In other recent satellite news:
-- A new LEO player has entered the space. Former Google VP Milo Medin has founded Logos Space and plans to launch a new broadband satellite constellation. The company has filed for nearly 4,000 machines, set to operate in the Q-, V-, K-, and E-bands. Backed by United States Innovative Technology, Google spin-out Aalyria is partnering with Logos on the project.
-- SpaceRISE - a consortium comprising Eutelsat, Hispasat, SES, and others - has been awarded by the European Commission to build and operate IRIS², the EU's upcoming multi-orbit satellite constellation. The multi-billion-euro project is set to go live in the early 2030s.
-- MicroGEO satellite firm Astranis has been awarded a contract to deliver new PNT (positioning, navigation, and timing) satellites to bolster the US’ existing GPS fleet. The company has been selected as a prime contractor for the US Space Force (USSF) Space Systems Command’s (SSC) new Resilient GPS (R-GPS) program. Partnering with Xona Space Systems, Astranis has secured an $8 million contract for the initial design phase of the program. Axient, L3 Harris, and Sierra Space are also on the program -- USSF has asked contractors to prepare the first eight R-GPS satellites for launch by 2028.
-- Colt Technology Services is partnering with Rivada Space. Colt will use Rivada’s upcoming satellite fleet to provide data services to customers. Rivada, however, is reportedly late on paying suppliers and salaries.
-- Marlink is installing its Starlink-powered Sealink NextGen network offering on 26 tankers owned by Brazil’s Transpetro. Installation is set to be completed fleet-wide by Q1 2025.
-- Gilat has been awarded $5 million in contracts from multiple US-based defense organizations. The company will supply X, Ku, and Ka-band Block Upconverters (BUCs) for Communications-on-the-Move (COTM) systems, along with test and evaluation, repair, upgrades and engineering services, and field service.
-- Charter is expanding its Ubik operating system—which manages complex space programs for satellite and spacecraft manufacturing—by integrating an AI-powered underwriting tool to automate and simplify underwriting for space insurance policies.
