Topher Haddad

Co-founder/CEO @Albedo, building VLEO systems

[Topher Haddad @TopherHaddad]

https://t.co/lpD9cDpOcD

[Topher Haddad @TopherHaddad]

Stunning

[Vantor @vantortech]

Celebrating 36 years of discovery with the Hubble Space Telescope 🔭

Collected on April 23, 2026, by one of Vantor's WorldView Legion satellites, this remarkable non-Earth image showcases Hubble from just 61.8 km away—an incredible perspective of one of humanity’s most iconic scientific instruments. With a space sample distance of 4.0 cm, Hubble’s signature cylindrical body, gleaming thermal shielding, and extended solar arrays are clearly visible, along with the open aperture door at the front of the telescope.

For over three decades, Hubble has expanded our understanding of the universe—delivering breathtaking imagery and groundbreaking science that continue to inspire.

Proud to support the technologies and teams that make moments like this possible.

[Albedo @Albedo]

Albedo is THE VLEO company.

Announcing Vicinity — our next VLEO bus, powered-up to unlock performance from proximity for higher power payloads.

Demo mission launching to VLEO next year.

More details on our new website: https://t.co/YJUjF4UQ73

[SpaceNews @SpaceNews_Inc]

Albedo prepares second VLEO mission for 2027 launch https://t.co/5UoV1gNh4i

[Topher Haddad @TopherHaddad]

This is both inspiring in the shift to execution-mode, and refreshingly clear on what capabilities America and industry should be investing in

Golden age here we come

[NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman @NASAAdmin]

Below is a note I shared with the NASA workforce outlining today’s Ignition event and how America will deliver the golden age of space exploration.

🧵

[Nominal @Nominal_io]

Fly low at @albedo

[Topher Haddad @TopherHaddad]

Nominal’s software and the team behind it have created immense leverage for our hardware testing & on-orbit data analysis

And now even more clutch as we’re scaling up future builds with repeatable processes

Big congrats to @Nominal_io & thanks for featuring @Albedo!

[Bryce Strauss @brycestrauss]

Today @Nominal_io is announcing an additional $80M fundraise at a $1B valuation, led by @FoundersFund.

AI has already reshaped how software gets built (for the third time in 4 years, apparently). Hardware engineering should be seeing the same impact.

It's not. The reason isn't the models. It's legacy tools that can't evolve, dot-com-software that was never built for the stakes, and the fragmented data they leave behind.

That's why we built Nominal. Hardware teams deserve tools built on a data supply chain where "make no mistakes" is a standard, not a prayer.

[Albedo @Albedo]

Big news… Hoodies are back in stock.

Yes — they still glow in the dark.

Link in comment👇

[Albedo @Albedo]

We are pleased to announce that Albedo has been awarded a contract for the Missile Defense Agency SHIELD IDIQ with a ceiling of $151B.

This contract encompasses a broad range of work areas that allows for the rapid delivery of innovative capabilities to the warfighter with increased speed and agility.

Proximity Drives Performance

[Dan Piemont @danpiemont]

Controlling on torque rods ad-hoc is some old school space cowboy stuff. Good on you @TopherHaddad and team.

[Topher Haddad @TopherHaddad]

@pronounced_kyle If you know, you know…

Thank you Christian

[Topher Haddad @TopherHaddad]

https://t.co/lpD9cDpOcD

[Garry Tan @garrytan]

YC is the YC for Space Tech

[AyJay @livingamilehigh]

Strove for perfection out of the gate. Even though we didn’t hit every goal - the step change in what we’ve built is incredible

[Kevin Patrick Mahaffey @dropalltables]

This is what A+ execution in hard tech looks like.

The @Albedo team built the highest resolution commercial imaging satellite ever and flew it so low they had to worry about atomic oxygen + atmospheric drag. They built so many ingenious workarounds for FOAK equipment issues, Andy Weir would blush.

Unlike SaaS, space is unforgiving. 98% functional is not fixable with your CI/CD system. Just as SpaceX took a few explosions on the launchpad to get to orbit, Albedo's first mission ended similarly in what is, in this world, a massive success.

Give this a read and you'll have a new appreciation for how hardcore this team is.

[Topher Haddad @TopherHaddad]

Proliferating VLEO is high-leverage deterrence against these threats

Below the belts where radiation gets trapped from a nuke. Drag self-cleans debris.

[SpaceNews @SpaceNews_Inc]

U.S. vulnerable to Russian escalation in space, new report warns https://t.co/GLh6LlmYa7

[Topher Haddad @TopherHaddad]

Love the spirit of this. But it’s not going to move the needle much. Legacy A&D has a systemic limitation to how far their dollar goes, especially with “New”, “Modern”, & “Production” in the same sentence

Bet on the new companies, to move the needle

[Topher Haddad @TopherHaddad]

Goals for 2026
- Finish next-gen spacecraft upgrades (built/tested)
- New partnerships/sales for VLEO missions over solar min
- Skateboard every day

[Topher Haddad @TopherHaddad]

Best 2025 Wrapped goes to @joinrosebud. So insightful

Still hoping for one from @DoorDash someday

[Topher Haddad @TopherHaddad]

@MattGialich @llcrabbie Put barton springs at the midpoint of your run pre 9am, it works

[Topher Haddad @TopherHaddad]

C’mon

[Elon Musk @elonmusk]

@MarcusHouse Biggest advantage of lower altitude is that beam diameter is smaller for a given antenna size, allowing Starlink to serve a higher density of customers