Thousands of satellites orbit our planet every day, capturing extraordinary data about agriculture, infrastructure, climate, disasters, defence, and commercial activity. Yet for most businesses, buying a single satellite image remains shockingly difficult — buried under high minimum order sizes, fragmented suppliers, unclear pricing, and complex procurement processes.

In this episode of the Space Curious Podcast, host Arn Terry sits down with Zdravko Dimitrov, founder and CEO of Sfera Technologies, a Bulgaria-based space company on a mission to make commercial satellite imagery accessible to businesses of any size. Zdravko breaks down why the satellite data industry is still so hard to navigate, how his company is pioneering small area tasking to let customers buy exactly the pixels they need, and why the future of earth observation belongs to commercial innovation — not just government defence programs.

From the difference between Google Earth and professional earth observation data, to how AI is transforming geospatial analysis at scale, to what it's really like building a space tech company from Eastern Europe — this conversation is packed with insights for founders, geospatial professionals, space enthusiasts, and anyone curious about the future of satellite technology.

In this episode:

What commercial satellite imagery actually is (and why it's way more than just a photo)

The real difference between Google Earth and purchasing professional EO data

Archive imagery vs. new tasking — what's cheaper and when to use each

Why minimum order sizes are choking small businesses out of the market

How Sfera Technologies small area tasking lets you task fresh satellite data for $100 instead of $3,000

Which industries benefit most from satellite imagery (finance is the sleeper pick)

How AI and large language models are unlocking geospatial analysis for everyone

What it's really like building a space company from Bulgaria — without ESA membership, venture capital, or anchor customers

The three pillars Europe needs to fix its space sector

Myth-busting: why satellites can't watch you in real time (yet)

Chapters:

0:00 — Introduction

1:44 — Guest Background

10:24 — Understanding Satellite Imagery

19:07 — Why It's Hard to Access

29:18 — Small Area Tasking

34:34 — Industries & Real-World Value

38:45 — AI & the Future of Earth Observation

40:50 — The Commercial EO Market

46:55 — Access, Responsibility & Trust

48:41 — Building from Bulgaria

51:48 — Europe's Space Sector

57:22 — Myth Busting & Quick Fire Round

1:01:20 — Closing Thoughts

About the guest:

Zdravko Dimitrov is the founder of Sfera Technologies, a Bulgaria-based space company making commercial satellite observation accessible to businesses of any size. A graduate of the Bulgarian Air Force Academy with a background in automation engineering, Zdravko previously worked on a university earth observation satellite mission before founding Sphera to solve the accessibility problem in commercial satellite data.

Connect with Zdravko on LinkedIn / zdravko-dimitrov and learn more about Sfera Technologies at their company website - https://sfera.earth/

Subscribe to the Space Curious Podcast for more deep-dive conversations with the founders, engineers, and innovators shaping the future of space technology, earth observation, and geospatial intelligence.

The Space Curious Podcast is hosted by Arn Terry, founder of Daniel Ernest and its space and aerospace recruitment practice, DE Orbit — specialists in placing mission-critical talent across the space, satellite and defence sector. Learn more at www.danielernest.com/de-orbit

connect with Arn Terry / arnterry

Join the space curious group - / 18018020

#SatelliteImagery #EarthObservation #SpaceTech #Geospatial #SpaceIndustry #SatelliteData #RemoteSensing #SpaceCurious #SferaTechnologies #ZdravkoDimitrov #SpacePodcast #CommercialSatellite #GeospatialAI #SpaceEconomy #EarthObservationData

🛰️ What if I told you the software running your phone's GPS, your weather forecasts, and even your emergency rescue signals was written by a handful of brilliant minds — launching code into the harshest environment imaginable and hoping it just... works?In this episode of the Space Curious Podcast, Arn Terry sits down with Ioannis Trichakis, Principal Software Engineer at Alén Space, to decode the invisible world of satellite software. From writing code for machines you can never physically reach, to building fail-safe systems that protect multi-million-dollar missions orbiting at 26,000 km/h — this conversation will blow your mind.We dive deep into:🧠 How satellite software mimics the human body — eyes, heart, brain and all🚀 Why satellites only get THREE 10-minute contact windows per day🛡️ The genius behind FDIR — how satellites detect, isolate, and recover from faults... autonomously📡 The SDR revolution: satellites that can be reprogrammed from Earth like apps on your phone🔐 Why cybersecurity is now a spacecraft fundamental — not an afterthought🤖 AI in orbit: where it's already happening, and where humans must NEVER let go of the wheel💡 How someone went from knowing NOTHING about space to leading an entire space agency's software programmeWhether you're a curious mind, a budding engineer, or someone wondering if there's a career in space for you — this one's going to light a fire. 🔥⭐ Connect with Yiannis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ioannis-trichakis-150924b0/ ⭐ Connect with the Space Curious Network on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/18018020/Connect with Arn Terry - https://www.linkedin.com/in/arnterry/?isSelfProfile=true Chapters:0:00 Introduction0:51 Welcome & Introductions3:53 Journey into Space Software6:15 What Surprised Me About Space Software8:00 What Onboard Software Does10:53 How Satellites Communicate11:55 Software-Defined Satellites14:13 Building Software for Space17:27 Fail-Safe Satellite Software20:44 Testing for the Unknown23:51 Reconfigurable Satellites: The SDR Revolution30:03 Cybersecurity in Orbit32:13 Are We Taking Satellites for Granted?34:58 AI Autonomy in Orbit41:05 Careers in Space Software48:53 Myth Busting: Space Tech50:00 Closing Thoughts & Quick FireThe Space Curious Podcast is hosted by Arn Terry, founder of Daniel Ernest and its space and aerospace recruitment practice, DE Orbit — specialists in placing mission-critical talent across the space, satellite and defence sector. Learn more at danielernest.com/de-orbit.#SpaceCurious #SatelliteSoftware #SpaceTech #EmbeddedSystems #AlénSpace #AerospaceEngineering #SpaceIndustry #SoftwareEngineering #SatelliteTechnology #SpaceCareers #STEM #SpacePodcast #TechPodcast #SpaceExploration #Cybersecurity #AIinSpace #SDR #SpaceMissions #Engineering #Curiosity