Author name: Victoria Heath

This piece was written by LeoLabs Data Analytics Team: Dr Darren McKnight, Dr Rachit Bhatia, Erin Dale, and Mohin Patel.

Dr Darren McKnight is the senior technical fellow at LeoLabs. He has coauthored five books ranging from space debris and spacecraft operations to soccer coaching and innovation. Darren received his bachelor’s degree from the United States Air Force Academy in Engineering Sciences, his master’s degree from the University of New Mexico in Mechanical Engineering, and his doctorate from the University of Colorado in Aerospace Engineering Sciences.

Dr Rachit Bhatia is a space safety analytics and research lead at LeoLabs. He holds a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from SRM University and a Master’s and a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from Utah State University (Logan). His other research interests include optimal estimation theory, autonomous spacecraft navigation, and control system design.

Erin Dale is a business analyst at LeoLabs with 10 years experience in the space industry, degrees in Engineering Science and Environmental Policy, and a penchant for using Tableau. She relishes interdisciplinary projects, especially when they combine space safety, healthy and clean environments, and visualizing insights.

Mohin Patel is an analytic visualization programmer at LeoLabs. He previously worked at NOAA as a Satellite cloud programmer and has a BS for Applied Atmospheric Science from East Carolina University and a MS in Meteorology and Climate Science from San Jose State University. He enjoys translating physics from paper to programming code for research analysis and modeling.

Victoria is the digital marketing and communications specialist at LeoLabs. For almost a decade, she's paired creativity with academic rigor to develop content and manage communications for individuals and organizations working at the intersections of technology, science, human rights, and global policy. More recently, she turned her focus to space, working with the Open Lunar Foundation and Masten Space Systems. She's also a member of the Space Generation Advisory Council, advising the Space Law and Policy Project Group. She has a BA in History and Political Science from Virginia Tech and a MA in Global Affairs from the University of Toronto.

Matt is the Senior Director of Insights and Partnerships at LeoLabs. He's been with the company since early 2019, when he joined to help provide services and solutions to commercial satellite operators of all sizes. Like many of his colleagues at LeoLabs, Matt's fascination with space started from a very young age and never faded. He received his B.S. in Physics from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and M.S. in Engineering Physics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He is also a graduate of the International Space University (Space Studies Program 2014 in Montreal, Canada).