About Tom
Tom Johnson
Founder and CEO
30+ years of experience in the space domain in the areas of space situational awareness (SSA), satellite operations, flight dynamics, orbit determination, software engineering, and data analysis.
At Analytical Graphics, Inc (AGI, now part of Ansys) he was Senior Vice President of Innovation, focusing on new product concepts. As Vice President of Engineering he led the teams developing Systems Tool Kit (STK) and Orbit Determination Tool Kit (ODTK) and defined and taught best practices for doing analysis and integration. He supported strategic customers with their analysis and operational deployments. Early in his AGI career he created the STK/Communications module.
At the Commercial Space Operations Center (COMSPOC) he led the research and development for SSA algorithms and sensor operations, and integrated dozens of non-traditional sensors into a seamless data flow. His motto was "I've never met a sensor I didn't like, just some I can't afford ...". He trained the initial cadre of orbital analysts and defined best practices for managing and trouble-shooting full catalog scale orbit determination systems.
As an officer in the US Air Force (now US Space Force) he was a satellite operator and satellite engineering officer qualified on DSCS III and NATO III spacecraft. At Lockheed Martin he supported launch and early orbit operations on multiple DSCS III launches and operational sustainment for the attitude control and TT&C subsystems.
Tom enjoys a challenge, whether it be reverse engineering spacecraft anomalies, finding new algorithms to apply to current problems, or exploring data visualization for communicating with decision makers.
Tom has a MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Colorado and a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame.
Exa Research is a Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB).
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