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

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