Space Minds Inside the new age of space domain awareness
Oct 30, 2025
Doug Hendrix, co-founder and CEO of ExoAnalytic Solutions, transitions from missile defense to leading a global telescope network for space domain awareness. He discusses the surge of space debris and the urgent need for improved tracking systems. Hendrix highlights how commercial innovations like SpaceX are reshaping government contracts. The conversation also delves into the risks of a kinetic space conflict generating catastrophic debris, emphasizing the importance of automation and human oversight in managing space traffic.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
From Missile Defense To Space Surveillance
- Doug Hendrix and two co-founders started ExoAnalytic after working on missile defense algorithms and sensing.
- They shifted their defense expertise into space surveillance because they saw a clear operational need.
Use Performance-Based Contracts To Spur Innovation
- Use performance-based, prize-style contracting to tap commercial innovation and share risk.
- Let companies prototype on their own dime then award production to winners who demonstrate viable concepts.
Real-Time Response To An Intelsat Breakup
- Doug described waking up, checking their system, and manually cataloging 57 pieces before brunch after the Intelsat 33e breakup.
- Over days XO added hundreds then thousands of pieces, showing rapid debris proliferation after a GEO mishap.
