Space-based Technologies and Commercialized Development : Economic Implications and Benefits

Stella Tkatchova, Ph.D., is a Space Business Engineer at Rhea System S.A. a leading Belgian aerospace company. She has the unique opportunity to work on new business development, the company's marketing plan, proposals preparation and the development of projects related to space-based applications. She holds a PhD from the Industrial Engineering Group of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at TUDelft, the Netherlands and a Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Space Studies from the International Space University (ISU), France.In parallel to her PhD research she worked for several years as a contractor at European Space Agency (ESA)-ESTEC on industrialisation and marketing of the ESA ISS on-board facilities at ESA Commercial Promotion Office (CPO). She started her career working on the market analysis study for the expected revenues from the geomatic applications for the Galileo navigation system and the cost drivers for Metop-A at ESA Cost Analysis Division.Since her childhood in Sofia, Bulgaria she has always dreamt of interplanetary exploration and therefore, developed a strong passion for researching the commercialisation of space-based technologies for future interplanetary space missions, future space markets and ways for benefits identification and strategies for creation of public private partnerships for encouraging space technology industrialisation. Her passion led her into setting up a discussion forum in the International Journal of Space Technology Management and Innovation, of which she is the Chief Editor.She believes that space-technology can offer to non-space companies the unique opportunity to exploit technologies that will result in the development of new markets, applications and technologies. Commercialization of space technology will bring direct and indirect benefits to society in the areas of science, environment protection, disease prevention, energy generation and technology innovation.