Alex Wolff

Alex leads Insight M’s mechanical engineers, flight software engineers, and hardware technicians in designing, building, and ultimately supporting the operations of our custom instruments that collect the critical imagery fueling the data pipeline.

Starting at Insight M (then Kairos Aerospace) in 2017, Alex was responsible for transforming a hard-to-use, bulky, and unreliable prototype to a finished pod system that mounts on the strut of a Cessna, can be manufactured and assembled reliably and quickly, and has a field error rate that falls within the operational noise. Throughout his time at Insight M, he has spearheaded major projects to help improve the viability of the business, such as extending the methane camera’s operational limits, minimizing maintenance testing time, and attaining FAA approval to expand flexibility with aerial survey contractors. Within the last year, he has been leading the engineering effort of the laser prototype ensuring that Insight M builds a system that meets the company’s science goals while also remaining safe and efficient to produce at scale. 

Alex began his career working for Boeing on the Space Launch System as an intern on the propulsion systems team, where he mastered the level of rigor necessary for designing and building safety critical systems. Later at Google Terra Bella (formerly Skybox), he helped operate a fleet of earth imaging satellites. During his time at Google, the satellite fleet grew from two to seven units which required an abstraction of tools and processes — a lesson that he applied at Insight M as the company scaled.

Alex has a M.S. from Stanford University in aeronautics and astronautics, graduating Summa Cum Laude, and a B.S. from Auburn University in aerospace with a minor in entrepreneurship.