Stella Tkatchova is the Programme Manager (PM) for space systems at the European Innovation Council (EIC). As a Programme Manager, Tkatchova  brings critical insights and technology/market specific knowledge, performs pro-active portfolio management and supports SME’s and start-ups to achieve breakthrough innovation. 

Previously she worked as a project manager and commercialization manager in the European space industry, managing a number of projects in the telecommunications (e.g. ESA ARTES INDIGO public private partnership, GOVSATCOM, O3B) and Earth observation (e.g. Copernicus Sentinel 1 and Sentinel 3) domains. She co-founded a space start-up and helped several SMEs and start-ups grow in the Newspace industry. Earlier in her career, she worked at ESA’s European Space and Technology Centre (ESTEC) on the EU Galileo and the International Space Station (ISS) programmes.  She holds a PhD by the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering of TUDelft, The Netherlands. 

She has written numerous articles, books, produced webinars and podcasts on problems related to the commercialization of space technology, cis-lunar exploration, space debris remediation, in-orbit servicing and in-space logistics. Tkatchova is the founder and former editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Space Technology Management & Innovation (IJSTMI).