The
Rad Crew
Leadership Team
Our diverse team combines cutting-edge expertise with a passion for innovation in radiation testing for space.
Merek Chertkow
Founder & CEO
Technically grounded CEO providing strategic & corporate leadership while navigating the rapidly evolving space ecosystem.
Jared Harvey
Co-Founder & Chief Engineer
Leading cross-functional engineering teams, I shape the company’s technical direction to support our customers’ most demanding missions.
Stephen Longofono
Lead Radiation Engineer
I qualify space systems to
withstand their mission radiation environment from launch
to end of life.
George Randel
Lead Electrical Engineer
Engineering dependable end-to-end hardware design for performance in extreme environments, I provide radiation focused design insight.
Semene Collie Roark
Business Management Analyst
I drive disciplined decision-making through optimizing business performance.
Sean Macdonald
Sr. Business Dev Manager
I lead strategic growth through
client partnerships and
market expansion.
Company Milestones
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November 2022 Company Founding
The Rad Team opens our first office in Seattle, WA.
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January 2023 First Heavy Ion Test
Our first heavy ion test was a resounding success.
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April 2023 First Project to Launch Towards Mars
Performed test and analysis on a mission that has actually launched towards Mars.
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July 2023 Rad Team Goes Global
With our first non-US customer, we become an international provider!
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August 2023 First Government Contract
The Rad Team is officially contracted with the Department of Defense.
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February 2024 Opened Los Angeles Office
With the hiring of five more engineers, we established an office in Los Angeles, California.
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January 2025 First Exhibition Booth
The Rad Team participated in their first conference as an exhibitor at SpaceCom 2025.
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February 2025 First Conference Sponsorship
SmallSat Symposium became our first conference for which we were a corporate sponsor.
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March 2024 First Lunar Mission Project Contracted
The Rad Team provides radiation testing for a lunar mission.
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October 2024 Opened Boulder Office
We opened an office in Boulder, Colorado to support the burgeoning space industry flourishing there.
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November 2025 Contracted to Launch Hardware for a University
Contracted to perform testing, analysis, and launch services for university hardware
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November 2025 MDA IDIQ Awardee
We are honored to have been awarded a position on the Missile Defense Agency’s SHIELD multiple‑award contract vehicle
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March 2026 Launched Online Radiation Test Database
Published a massive database publicly searchable
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April 2026 AFRL IDIQ Sub-Awardee
We are excited to support a Prime as a sub to a on AFRL’s IDIQ contract vehicle.
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April 2026 Launched The Rad Team Federal
A dedicated federal division to serve government customers and specified compliance and requirements.
Radiation Engineering is one of the major barriers to space exploration. Our careers at private space companies focused on solutions toward ‘their’ goals, but didn’t feel like the best path towards moving the industry forward. We want to help the proliferation of space for all, so we started The Rad Team and surrounded ourselves with like-minded individuals, all of which are experts in their field. Working together as an entire space ecosystem, we all will get farther and do more for humanity.
-Merek Chertkow (Founder)
Our Mission
Lower the barrier of entry for access and operations in space. We lead the way in radiation assessment for aerospace applications and space exploration.
Our Founding
We started The Rad Team to give the space industry a smarter, more effective way to handle radiation challenges. Our goal was simple: make top-tier expertise accessible to any mission that needs it. We built a team with unmatched experience across commercial and government programs. We deliver clear, reliable radiation analysis and testing, tailored to each customer.