Topher Haddad is the co-founder and CEO of Albedo, building satellites that fly in very low Earth orbit (VLEO) at 275km—twice as close as traditional imaging satellites. This proximity enables commercial imagery at resolutions previously only available from classified government systems or expensive aircraft operations.

What you'll learn:

How VLEO satellites capture imagery quality that replaces planes and drones commercially
Why atmospheric drag and atomic oxygen create unique engineering challenges at 275km altitude
Topher's journey from Lockheed Martin engineer to Y Combinator space startup founder
The pre-sales strategy that secured double-digit millions in binding contracts before launch
Why they pivoted from outsourcing to vertical integration mid-development
How to navigate defense sales as a startup without traditional prime contractor relationships
The surprising accessibility of space—getting a satellite up for $1M in just months
Why only imaging and communications make business sense in today's space economy
The capital journey from founding in 2020 to $100M raised before first satellite launch
How SpaceX's ecosystem is enabling a new generation of space companies

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Introduction to Topher Haddad and Albedo

(01:04) What is VLEO and why fly satellites so low

(03:09) Engineering challenges of atmospheric drag and atomic oxygen

(06:12) Solar activity cycles and satellite lifetime considerations

(07:30) Commercial use cases replacing planes and drones

(11:41) Timeline from quitting Lockheed to first satellite launch

(13:24) The surprisingly low barrier to entry for simple satellites

(14:22) What space markets actually work today vs. future bets

(17:08) How launch cost reductions enable new business models

(19:04) Navigating defense sales and government relationships

(25:23) Why space startups survived the 2022 market crash

(38:41) The importance of pre-sales and customer deposits for deep tech

(46:03) Rapid fire: skateboarding, support systems, and space observations

Open Air with Cheri Huber - March 12, 2013