SpaceLink, a company that is building an information superhighway for the space economy, welcomed two industry experts to its team. Robert Conrad joined the company as Vice President of NASA and Civil Space business development, and Phil Robinson is Vice President and Chief Security Officer. They join a group of exceptional business and technology professionals who have demonstrated confidence in the prospects for a relay service that provides secure, continuous, high-capacity communications between Low Earth Orbit spacecraft and the ground.
Robert Conrad has supported dozens of satellite missions with NASA, NOAA, the NSF and JPL . He has deep domain knowledge of TDRSS and experience working with the NASA Space Communications Network and Satellite Ground Network. He spent 17 years at LJT & Associates, a small business government contractor that provided a range of aerospace services, where he was President and CEO.
Mr. Conrad earned a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University where he concentrated on RF and Satellite Communications, and he has a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Capitol College. He holds a patent for a wide band satellite transceiver.
As Vice President and Chief Security Officer, Phil Robinson is responsible for SpaceLink’s tactical and strategic security operations. A retired U.S. Army Special Forces veteran, his more than 30-year career encompasses protection of sensitive technologies and classified information, human and counterintelligence operations, and information systems.
He has been recognized by the DoD for administering exceptional security, risk, and technology protection programs and he holds a graduate degree in Security Management from Webster University.
A senior member of several well-regarded professional security organizations, Mr. Robinson has served as an industry representative on the National Industrial Security Program Policy Advisory Committee. He is often an invited guest of the Director for OUSD(I) Security and Intelligence and Director of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency to advise on critical national security issues.
“SpaceLink continues to attract the industry’s top professionals who are inspired by our business strategy and the opportunity to contribute to our game changing data relay service,” said David Bettinger, Chief Executive Officer at SpaceLink. “Robert Conrad and Phil Robinson each bring skills and experience that will be essential to SpaceLink’s success and I couldn’t be more pleased to welcome them to the team.”
The demand for fast, continuous, high-capacity connectivity for spacecraft on orbit already outstrips supply and with LEO spacecraft proliferating, it is only destined to grow. SpaceLink will relieve the bandwidth bottleneck for organizations that need to transport data quickly and securely to users anywhere in LEO orbit or on Earth.
The SpaceLink relay network is designed to pick up where the U.S. Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) leaves off and go beyond with unprecedented capacity that leverages today’s technology advances. It helps close the business case for Earth observation companies, commercial space stations, satellite servicers and tugs, and meets requirements for the U.S. government and close allies that need to leverage industry solutions to maximize capabilities.