Dakota Labine is the Director of Engineering at ThinkOrbital, where he leads multidisciplinary teams building next-generation space infrastructure and advanced X-ray technologies. Starting in a hands-on Assembly, Integration, and Test leadership role before growing into engineering leadership, Dakota has helped scale the company from rapid hardware execution into broader technical and organizational growth. His work spans autonomous in-space welding, drone-based X-ray imaging, spacecraft systems, and rapid development programs supporting both commercial and government customers. Before joining ThinkOrbital, Dakota spent over four years at Blue Canyon Technologies leading spacecraft systems engineering efforts across major microsatellite constellation programs and new spacecraft product lines. Known for blending hands-on execution with big-picture systems thinking, he’s passionate about building teams, scaling ambitious ideas, and turning complex engineering challenges into real-world capabilities.

During this episode, we discuss:

• What Dakota does as the Director of Engineering at ThinkOrbital
• ThinkOrbital’s core products
• Their pivot toward X-ray technology
• The hardest part of scaling a deep tech hardware company
• How ThinkOrbital serves both commercial and government customers
• Why the space economy is booming right now
• What makes Boulder, CO a hub for aerospace startups
• Dakota's advice for anyone looking to work in deep tech

And more. Tune into this episode as we dive into all things space!