Lecture Series: Satellites 101 — The Technology That Powers Life on Earth
Hosted by Wolilo — a community of curious people.
Join us for an engaging and practical lecture exploring how satellites work, and discover how this invisible technology powers everyday life — from GPS and weather to farming, climate action, and beyond.
📍 Online (free until Friday)
📚 Lecture: Satellites 101: The Technology That Powers Life on Earth
🎤 Speaker: Kristen Cote, Experimental Physicist & CTO of Wyvern, a Canadian space data company offering the highest-resolution commercial hyperspectral imagery from space
In this lecture, you’ll learn:
What satellites actually are — and how many are orbiting Earth today
How satellites communicate, avoid crashing, and get funded
The ways satellites impact your daily life — from internet, GPS, and weather forecasts to food security and disaster response
Surprising and entertaining stories from space — including secret missions, space junk, and sci-fi myths
About Wolilo
Wolilo is an edutainment company offering lectures and courses led by professors, founders, and subject-matter experts. We also provide a platform to connect with people who share your interests and passions.
Our goal is to help people understand the world around them — through stories from science, health, and history that matter today and shape tomorrow. We turn important topics into learning that’s clear, fun, and useful.
Sign up for our app waitlist — launching Fall 2025.
About the speaker
Kristen Cote is an experimental physicist specializing in space optics. She is a co-founder and the Chief Technology Officer at Wyvern, where she leads the company’s hardware and data application teams to develop advanced Earth observation (EO) technologies, including high-resolution hyperspectral imaging systems and the development of deployable optics systems–patented, unfolding telescopes enabling cheaper-to-launch, higher-performing EO satellites–for low-Earth orbit. Wyvern has graduated from leading global accelerators including Creative Destruction Lab, Seraphim Space Camp, and Y Combinator (W22). She holds a PhD in physics from the University of Toronto (’25), an MSc in Earth and Space Science Engineering from York University (’18), and a BSc in astrophysics from the University of Alberta (’16).
Kristen started her space career as part of the AlbertaSat team, who launched Alberta’s first satellite, Ex-Alta 1. At York, she later led spectroscopy research for the Canadian Space Agency, including work on advanced laser- and Raman-based instruments for planetary exploration. With over a decade of experience in optics–from quantum optics, x-ray systems, laser spectroscopy, optical design and beyond–she now focuses on advancing space-based sensing to help better monitor and understand our planet.
About Wyvern
Edmonton, Alberta-based space data company Wyvern was created to provide hyperspectral data that will enable a sustainable future for humanity. Wyvern offers the highest-resolution commercial hyperspectral imagery of Earth from space currently available, revealing hidden details, like soil moisture, plant health, and tree species, so decision makers across agriculture, forestry, energy, and mining sectors can make better decisions about their operations. For more information about Wyvern, please visit wyvern.space.