From Minutes to Milliseconds, with Katherine Monson

What if you could cut the time for data to be relayed from space to Earth from half an hour to milliseconds? That’s the vision of Hedron. Formerly known as Analytical Space, Hedron is developing a network of data relay satellites that it says “will connect space to Earth in real-time.”

Hedron raised a nearly $18M Series A last year and brought on a new management team, including now-COO Katherine Monson. She’s the former CEO of KSAT Inc., the American division of Kongsberg Satellite Services. Before that, she was an early employee of Spire Global ($SPIR).

Katherine joins us today on the Pathfinder podcast to discuss Hedron’s go-to-market strategy, the company’s technology, the space industry, the three rules of building networks, and more. Hedron has played its cards relatively close to the vest this year, so it was quite an honor to dig into the startup’s technology, strategy, and outlook for the next few years.

SPONSOR : Today’s episode is brought to you by Altek Inc., a leading custom injection molding and precision machining manufacturer of key parts and components for rockets and satellites. Find out more at https://www.altek-inc.com/

*CHAPTERS*

00:00: Intro
04:30 Dreaming of being SecDef
6:49 International cooperation work at Pentagon
8:12 High-stakes negotiating and high capital-intensity industries
9:00 Entering aerospace world
13:00 The importance of trust in business
14:30 Changes at Hedron (formerly Analytical Space)
19:13 “Today, that's measured in minutes and we need to be moving into milliseconds”
21:20 The three rules of building networks
28:00 Technology stack, network architecture, and inter-satellite links
34:30 What needs to be done in-house and what doesn’t (aka buy vs. build)
37:30 Target users and applications…why do firefighters need this technology?
50:35 Other industries space can learn from

*SHOW NOTES*

Website: https://www.hedron.space/
Rebrand/Series A https://payloadspace.com/hedron-rebrands-raises-series-a/
Katherine’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherinedmonson
KSAT: https://www.ksat.no/
Spire: https://spire.com/
Pathfinder’s 2022 Spotify Wrapped: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rfduffy_pathfinders-spotify-wrapped-weve-been-activity-7007133134081191936-4UvR
Ryan's socials — https://twitter.com/Ryandoofy / https://www.linkedin.com/in/rfduffy/
Payload’s socials — https://twitter.com/payloadspace / https://www.linkedin.com/company/payloadspace/

*ABOUT US*

Pathfinder is brought to you by Payload, a modern space media brand built from the ground up for a new age of space exploration and commercialization. We deliver need-to-know news and insights daily to 12,000+ decision-makers across commercial, civil, and military space.We aim to inform but also educate and entertain.