Dylan Kesler - Slingshot Aerospace

Space agencies and companies are turning to AI agents to help space operators navigate a crowded space ecosystem – with the goal of unlocking orbital autonomy.

"Potentially some of the satellites that are hidden within those constellations could have nefarious motives." Dylan Kesler, Slingshot Aerospace

AI agents will be paramount to enable spacecrafts to operate independently and alleviate pressure on space operators, assisting with space traffic coordination, preventing space debris, real-time data processing and training to ensure the security and success of mission-critical space operations.

On this edition of The Ex Terra Podcast, Tom Patton talks with Dylan Kesler, VP of AI and Data Science at Slingshot Aerospace.

"We're seeing new constellations of satellites go up, multiple constellations of ten thousand or more satellites go up, by the united states, but also by international partners and competitors," Kesler said. "Potentially some of the satellites that are hidden within those constellations could have nefarious motives, they could be carrying hidden payloads, and literally acting as if they're one of those satellites in those constellations."

Slingshot worked with DARPA to create a new AI system, called Agatha, that identifies anomalous spacecraft within large satellite constellations. Just before Thanksgiving, the company was selected by NOAA to develop the presentation layer, or user interface for its TraCSS space traffic coordination system. TraCSS will serve civil, commercial, academic, and national security satellite operators worldwide. Slingshot will leverage its space traffic coordination software, Slingshot Beacon, to support the development of the TraCSS Presentation Layer.

Dylan Kesler is VP of AI and Data Science at Slingshot Aerospace. Dylan has spent more than a decade developing and implementing novel AI agents, ML algorithms, signals intelligence and data science initiatives for space domain and situational awareness. He has led numerous R&D and AI product development efforts for both commercial and government partners, including the Department of Commerce, AFWERX and DARPA. Dylan also holds a PHD in Philosophy from Oregon State University.