By David Bullock
NYC-based Tonya McPhearson has been following the space beat for some time now and has seen the changes and the economic opportunities in the sector, over the past ten years.
She has a background in economics and finance and started working in hospitality before becoming a space entrepreneur and consultant a decade ago. At that time, she met German space entrepreneur Andreas Bergweiler, who worked for a company called Space Affairs. “Andreas would host expeditions to watch the space launches to the International Space Station at [the Russian-owned] Baikonur [spaceport],” McPhearson gave as an example.
She became affiliated with Space Affairs after this initial conversation with Bergweiler. “My role with that company was a marketing person and liaison with the United States,” said McPhearson.
The company was following the space tourism market specifically, at least at first. “I started with what I call ‘Space Tourism,’ but Andreas Bergweiler reminded me that the space tourism industry really doesn’t exist,” continued McPhearson.
After focusing on space tourism, McPhearson has broadened her reach within space, “My role now with the space industry is now promotion.“ And she has a new take on it as the industry has changed. “The space industry to me is social,“ McPhearson explained, “I am trying to evolve with it.”
In what ways is McPhearson adapting? She feels that the future of the space industry has to be with ESG, (environmental, social, and corporate governance) and finding out how ESG and space connect. Sustainability and issues, like climate, are very important in the ESG framework for organizations. The demand provided by both government and industry for ESG is emerging and significantly strong, at least currently.
For example, remote sensing satellites and the data they provided of Earth observation, proved to be very lucrative in 2022.
No matter how the space industry changes, it will need someone like McPhearson, who is experienced in the promotion and the social aspects of space.
McPhearson is still reaching out to contacts in New York City. She continues to regularly attend conferences and MeetUps while maintaining an online presence with social media and video.
If she had a soap box to tell the world what she thinks people should know, her message is very passionate, yet elegantly simple for such a complex subject.
“People need to know more about what is going on in their city and community from an economic and social perspective, not just political,” she said, “[Individuals] need to reach out to people they would not normally reach out to… because this is what our economy needs to really sustain it. It just needs new dynamics. [There are] existing opportunities that are all around that we don’t know are already there. If we look at each other differently, we can create these new opportunities.”