Reinventing Radar: Building the Future of ISR from Space | Andrew Peterson

The Drone Ultimatum

Andrew Peterson is the co-founder and CEO of Array Labs, a startup building 3D imaging radar satellites to compete with billion-dollar airborne ISR platforms at a fraction of the cost. In this episode, Andrew breaks down why government customers don’t just want imagery—they want hardware—and how selling into the defense ecosystem really works.We dig into the startup journey, the realities of firm fixed-price contracts vs. cost-plus, and what it takes to build scalable space systems that the Pentagon actually wants to buy. Andrew also shares candid lessons from founding the company, fundraising, and navigating the misunderstood world of defense innovation.Whether you’re deep in dual-use or just SAR-curious, this one’s packed with hard-won insights.Andrew Peterson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-peterson-array-labs/Array Labs: https://www.arraylabs.io/Links to the show:https://www.youtube.com/@thedroneultimatumhttps://open.spotify.com/show/3F1sc8yzQIF9WcdHQ3w7kf?si=3af8082184104062https://thedroneultimatum.substack.com/https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-drone-ultimatum/id1770994541https://www.instagram.com/thedroneultimatum/https://x.com/droneultimatumhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/the-drone-ultimatum?trk=public_post_feed-actor-nameFollow Steve:

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