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LeoLabs is the leading provider of integrated solutions that persistently monitor space to reveal threats to safety and security. Through our 24/7, all-weather global sensor network and AI-enabled platform, we collect and analyze millions of measurements per day across more than 20,000 objects to maintain a living map of orbital activity. LeoLabs is transforming how commercial satellite operators, launch providers, and government agencies see, understand, and act on opportunities to protect and defend their assets in space.

This piece was written by Dr Darren McKnight with contributions from Erin Dale.

Dr Darren McKnight is LeoLabs Senior Technical Fellow. He has dedicated his career to developing technical solutions and encouraging behavior that fosters a more secure and sustainable space operations environment through limiting the risk of debris collision hazard in LEO. He has coauthored five books ranging from space debris and spacecraft operations to soccer coaching and innovation. Darren has authored over 100 technical papers and presented them across 16 countries. 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. He is a member of the International Academy of Astronautics’ Space Debris Committee.

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.

Vic Gardner is the president of LeoLabs Federal. Vic has 15 years of experience delivering innovative space solutions for the U.S. DoD and intelligence community including integration, test, deployment, and operations of the National Space Defense Center Commercial Space Situational Awareness (SSA) architecture​. He holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland and a Master of Science in Astronautical Engineering from the University of Southern California.

Andre Candido is the senior technical product manager at LeoLabs. Andre has over a decade of experience in space and aerospace as a systems engineer, working for many years with industry leader Northrop Grumman. He holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from SUNY New Paltz, a Master of Science in Astronautical Engineering from the University of Southern California, and a Master of Science in Computer Science from Georgia Tech University.

Editing by Victoria Heath, the digital marketing and communications specialist at LeoLabs.

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).

Dr Darren McKnight is LeoLabs Senior Technical Fellow. He has dedicated his career to developing technical solutions and encouraging behavior that fosters a more secure and sustainable space operations environment through limiting the risk of debris collision hazard in LEO. He has coauthored five books ranging from space debris and spacecraft operations to soccer coaching and innovation. Darren has authored over 100 technical papers and presented them across 16 countries. 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. He is a member of the International Academy of Astronautics’ Space Debris Committee.

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.

Dan Ceperley is the CEO and co-founder of LeoLabs. Prior to LeoLabs, he worked at SRI International, a not-for-profit research laboratory, where he was the Program Director for Space Debris Tracking, the Deputy Director of the Oceans and Space Systems Center, and the supervisor for the Allen Telescope Array (a radio astronomy facility in northern California). Dan got his start in the space industry working on the design of the Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph (TPF-C) as part of a research program supporting the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). His work investigated the optical performance of advanced concepts for imaging Earth-like planets orbiting other stars. Dan is a Technical Advisor to Space for Humanity. This non-profit seeks to greatly increase the number of people who have experienced space flight, and thus promote the greater use of space. He holds a PhD and MS in Electrical Engineering from U. C. Berkeley and a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Virginia.

Dr Darren McKnight is LeoLabs Senior Technical Fellow. He has dedicated his career to developing technical solutions and encouraging behavior that fosters a more secure and sustainable space operations environment through limiting the risk of debris collision hazard in LEO. He has coauthored five books ranging from space debris and spacecraft operations to soccer coaching and innovation. Darren has authored over 100 technical papers and presented them across 16 countries. 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. He is a member of the International Academy of Astronautics’ Space Debris Committee.