Major David “Merlin” Ryan
“JUNO Satellite Poised for Defense Impact”
Sponsor Perspective
Major David “Merlin” Ryan
Overview
Through Hacking for Defense® (H4D), a nationwide university program that leverages the brightest students to address national security problems, students are taught how to apply entrepreneurial methodologies to understand and offer pathways for addressing a specific government problem.
Each team is given a different problem and every problem has a government problem sponsor. Problem sponsors are members of the Department of Defense or Intelligence Community who possess the relevant technical or professional expertise to mentor their students. They act as both the client and liaison, owning the problem the students are trying to solve and facilitating their investigation into its root causes.
Sponsor Biography:
Major David “Merlin” Ryan is a Program Manager at Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), responsible for the Responsive Space, Servicing and Assembly, and On-Orbit Refueling portfolios. Prior to his work at DIU, he was a Chief Engineer for Atlas V Avionics and the Enterprise Ground Platform Lead at Space Systems Command. He served as an Operations Controller for NATO during Operation Resolute Support and Electronic Warfare Engineer at JBSA-Lackland. He graduated from the United States Air Force Academy and Air Force Institute of Technology with his BS and MS in Computer Engineering and Artificial Intelligence.
Sponsor Perspective:
Could you talk us through the problem you submitted?
The original problem submitted involved Rendezvous and Proximity Operations and Docking. Over the course of the semester the students recognized that inspection following RPO was both more attainable and valuable to the Space Force. The students build low-cost satellites and load state of the art algorithms to extract significant value for Space Operators.
What did the students your team do with this problem?
At the end of the semester, the students presented their plans to continue to develop, test, and deliver on-orbit, autonomous inspection. I believe they will pursue various government opportunities to demonstrate their capabilities and deliver value to the Space Force.
How did their findings impact the organization?
Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is committed to accelerating the adoption of innovative commercial solutions to deliver strategic impact at scale. This course and the JUNO team demonstrated how quickly students can take on and hack difficult problems for the Department of Defense. The satellite capabilities they will deliver in their upcoming launch will change the value proposition for the Space Force when conducting on-orbit inspection.
Why should other potential government sponsors get involved in the H4D program?
Hacking for Defense allowed for a unique opportunity to work with students that want to utilize their time for the benefit of the United States government and Department of Defense. It was a rewarding experience and one that I hope to participate again in the future.
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