Balerion Principal Aidan Daoussis sits down with Johannes Galatsanos, Co-founder & CEO of Diffraqtion, to discuss quantum cameras and space domain awareness. Diffraqtion is developing cameras that process the shape of light before conventional digital imaging, enabling resolution beyond the traditional diffraction limit while performing photonic computation at the sensor. The company is initially targeting space domain awareness, with potential applications across ISR, autonomous systems, debris tracking, and astronomy.
00:00 – Introduction to Diffraqtion and quantum cameras
04:53 – Resolution beyond the diffraction limit and imaging from low Earth orbit
07:44 – Johannes Galatsanos’ background in AI and the origins of Diffraqtion
12:36 – Moving deep technology from academic research to commercial products
18:24 – How the camera processes shapes directly in light
23:18 – Space domain awareness as Diffraqtion’s initial market
24:44 – New capabilities for GEO imaging, debris tracking, and cislunar operations
27:58 – Sensor fusion, AI, and the limits of conventional imaging
31:40 – Scaling from laboratory research to manufacturable camera systems
34:58 – In-house design, fabrication partners, integration, and AI models
37:55 – Key infrastructure needs for the future of space domain awareness
41:53 – On-orbit processing, autonomy, and rapid decision-making at the edge
43:36 – Technical challenges in moving toward complex terrestrial environments
47:19 – Quantum cameras for robotics, autonomous systems, astronomy, and defense
49:46 – Deep tech commercialization and the opportunity to build new sensing companies
