An Atlantic Constellation: Technologies, Applications, and New User Applications for Science, Business Models, and Technology Transfer in the New Space Economy

Summary of the work plan

Globally, the work plan of the thesis should focus on key unpredictable idiosyncrasies thriving in the New Space economy that translate to new business opportunities in the next decade. Relating, in a practical way, how an Atlantic satellite constellation can drive growth for the Atlantic region (e.g particularly important to Portugal, regarding Earth and Maritime observation technologies and services, considering that the country has over 4 million km² of Extended Continental Shelf, being the largest coastal state in the EU and also one of the largest worldwide).

The Atlantic region is strategically located between North America, Europe, and Africa, making it a unique hub for trade, commerce, and transportation (air, maritime). The region is home to several major ports and shipping lanes, as well as key airports and transportation hubs. This to say, key Atlantic countries play a critical role in the global economy and have been exploring emerging fields related to satellite technologies and services helping them to overcome challenges such as: effects of climate change, environmental sustainability, demographic changes, digitalization, connectivity, and development of key infrastructure, among others. Space-based services can have significant impact in society, and Space initiatives that have the ambition of evolving from observation to action have a role to play, and the Atlantic constellation seeks to foster the demonstration of services for the Atlantic, aligned to tackle regional to global challenges, while decisively contributing to a New Space Economy in many Atlantic countries by applying space-based technologies.

The PhD candidate shall explore multiple case studies based on the Atlantic Constellation, examining its strategy, design and implementation, and certainly its governance as well the impact on the broader New Space industry and economy. It should also explore the potential for technology transfer to other sectors, such as Defence (maritime surveillance, costal surveillance, maritime traffic control), Emergency Management (management and warning of natural disasters, including forest fires), Maritime Observation (observation of essential variables, variability and dynamics of ecosystems, climate forecasts), Terrestrial Observation (Soil geographic information and its variations, vegetation status, forest registration and management, water resources management, agriculture, nature conservation). This could involve identifying new applications for satellite technology, as well as developing strategies for commercializing these applications. And the latter will lead to analyse the various business models that are currently being used for new Downstream applications, including EO trends, with a focus on identifying new models and opportunities for innovation.

Overall many key stakeholders of our present society acknowledge the central role of space to tackle today’s societal challenges and sustainable development goals (SDGs), but there seems to be still a lack of structured and intensive use of space data in multiple sectors, where its use would be beneficial as a tool for ensuring sustainable growth and economic resilience (both at the public and private levels). This PhD thesis will elaborate and enlighten how an Atlantic Constellation  can contribute in addressing the urgent societal challenges, ensuring an in-depth assessment and mapping of how current and future space-based systems contribute to sustainability and to solve some of the most pressing social problems facing humanity, as well as confirming a New Space economy is here to “stay” and thriving by creating new business models for different geographies, documenting business cases by means of test/use-cases, and deriving market-oriented recommendations, given the global scope of applications derived for the Atlantic but with replicability in different geographies stimulating more innovation;

Candidate Profile:

The candidate will be selected based on his/her CV, Letter of Support (LoS) and accompanying documentation, and evaluated taking in consideration :

• Background knowledge of the national and international commercial space industry and the role that emerging space technologies are playing in shaping a rapidly growing privately funded space sector;
• Background in engineering, or economics, or related field;
• Skilled in conducting research and data analysis, including literature reviews, data collection, and statistical analysis. General knowledge about satellite technology and its various applications in areas such as Earth Observation (EO), Telecommunications, Navigation, Launch services and the space sector value-chain;
• Capability to think critically about new business models and technology transfer aspects of the New Space economy, and how the space sector will be shaping the broader economic landscape in the next 20 to 30 years;
• General understanding of economic principles and theories, as well as their practical application to real-world situations;
• Ability to work independently but at the same time, aptitude to work with dynamic team’s environments nationally and internationally;
• Able to communicate new findings in a clear and concise manner and to various stakeholders (government, academia, industry and general public);

Name(s) of supervisor(s)

Supervisor: TBD

Name(s) of host institution(s)

The research will be conducted at Nova School of Business and Economics, in cooperation with the co-supervisor research group.

Identification of PhD program (at the Portuguese University)

PhD in Management at Nova School of Business and Economics

Notice of the Call ( English Version)

Notice of Call ( Portuguese version)

We are no longer accepting applications for this scholarship. Thank you.