This is an interview with Sfera Technologies, a startup working in the space technologies area.
Can you briefly explain what your solution is all about?
We give space agencies, enterprises, and startups the ability to get their data from space by quickly deploying a virtual ground segment – a trusted network of antennas across the globe that receive satellite data, coupled with tailored data service for storage, processing and dissemination;
In simple words, we make it very easy for satellite data to get back to Earth and be used as soon as it’s needed.
What led you to start or join your company? What is the key motivation and mission behind the startup?
We’re a spinoff of an aerospace R&D group here in Bulgaria. As we were working on a smallsat project, we realized the need for more ground stations to extract the maximum value of our satellite by receiving its data as quickly as possible. After we did some more research, we realized that the ground segment is still very far from standardization – unlike the space segment, for example – and that not many solutions to this problem are available. We imagined how one day an entire infrastructure, standardized and simple to use, can be available to all space companies so they can beam their valuable data back to Earth with ease.
This is also the first step of a long journey. Large-scale space exploration will not be possible if we don’t standardize, scale up and simplify the usage of technology. So our mission is to build infrastructures for this new space era, and we have started with data infrastructures because satellite data can have the biggest positive impact on the global economy, security and climate issues.
What’s the biggest milestone your startup has achieved so far, and what has surprised you most on this journey?
Biggest milestone: Getting our first space agency collaboration. Considering our relatively early stage, it was also a pleasant surprise.
What are your goals over the next 3, 6, and 12 months?
Deploy our Beta. Get customer feedback. Launch full-production product.
What advice would you give to an entrepreneur trying to pave his/her way in the Space landscape?
Persist and dream, but think of what’s relevant to your business. Space is the place for big ideas, but if you want to build a sustainable business, you must think of what’s economically relevant!