Alum James Dailey Helps Support the Psyche Asteroid and Artemis II Missions

James Daley '01 '09 Ph.D.

Because this unique asteroid appears to be the exposed nickel-iron core of an early planet, and similar to that of the inner planets of our solar system, it could allow scientists to study planetary cores and learn clues about the formation of the inner planets, including Earth.

Much of Dailey's work at CACI deals with laser communications. In addition to work related to DSOC, Dailey works with LiDAR systems, which he says is the optical analog of radar. Radar maps an environment or measures distances between objects using radio waves, Dailey says, but that can also be done with laser beams. His work involves building systems to enable that functionality.

"As a systems engineer, I get to help drive the complete system coming together," Dailey says. "I'm involved at the beginning, when you're trying to sell technologies to new customers and develop new approaches and bids and proposals. … And then once we win a program, I help with system architecture development, requirements flow-down to all the subsystems and ensure the customer is getting what they want."

DSOC was Dailey's first time working with NASA, although CACI has contracts with multiple clients where similar work is possible, such as the Space Development Agency and other government customers.

Dailey says CACI also delivered hardware to NASA for Optical to Orion, a laser communications system that will be part of the Orion spacecraft for the Artemis II moon mission-the first mission in which a crew will leave low Earth orbit since 1972. The hardware included a laser transmitter, receiver and all the modem and control electronics.

After studying electrical engineering at Lehigh, Dailey and his wife, Hannah Dailey '02 '06G '08 Ph.D. associate professor and the director of graduate studies in the department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics at Lehigh, took postdoc positions in Ireland. He then worked in fiber optic communications at the Tyndall National Institute at University College Cork for 3.5 years. Upon returning to the United States, he began at Applied Communications Sciences in New Jersey, a government contracting organization, before joining LGS Innovations, which was acquired by CACI in 2019.

In his current role, he helps coordinate efforts between the optical engineers, software engineers, electrical engineers and mechanical engineers.

Dailey credits Lehigh with equipping him with the tools and skills needed to be successful out of college, but also in helping him figure out exactly what he wanted to do. As an undergrad, he envisioned doing circuit design.

"It was actually at Lehigh that I fell in love with optics," Dailey says. "I'd say a year or two in, I took a class and just thought it was really fascinating, and I've been spending my whole professional life in it."