#97  Besan Dahboor Engel | How to scale from aid to orbit: designing space-ready infrastructure [EN]

Welcome back to another visionary episode of Startups from
Science!


Today, we dive into the fascinating new space age with Besan
Dahboor Engel. Known in the space community by her call sign
"Astra," Besan is a Deep Tech Entrepreneur, R&D Astronaut
Candidate, and the Founder & CEO of ReVora.
Space-to-Earth: Revolutionizing Global Food Security

Besan is pioneering the commercial connection between the space
sector and global food security. Through ReVora, she leads the
development of sustainable, AI- and data-rich food infrastructure
utilizing advanced closed-environment and hydroponic farming. By
leveraging space-grade materials, her work focuses on creating
regenerative agricultural models. These infrastructures are
capable of sustaining life in extreme environments on Earth—such
as the water-scarce deserts of the Middle East—while actively
laying the groundwork for lunar habitats and multi-planetary
living.
The "Overview Effect" and Astronaut Training

Beyond her work in venture creation, Besan is preparing for a
historic 2029 orbital mission with Titans Space Industries aboard
the Genesis Space Plane. She views space not merely as a distant
frontier, but as an essential economic infrastructure layer vital
for our planet's global food security, energy, and AI. In this
episode, she discusses the profound "Overview Effect"—the
scientific realization of Earth as a borderless, interconnected
system. Besan explains how this perspective serves as a driving
force for global cooperation, human capability, and sustainable
peace-building.
Diversity and the Expansion Mindset

With a universal perspective shaped by living and working across
four continents, Besan shares her unique journey of navigating
the deep tech sector as a female founder and mother. As a
certified mindset coach, she delves into the psychology of
entrepreneurship. She explains the necessity of shedding old
identities to build a resilient inner "operating system" for
continuous growth.


"A winning mindset is embodying fluid identities without
compromising inner values."


Instead of yielding to external circumstances, true expansion
comes from continuously embracing change and new identities while
staying fiercely anchored in your core mission and positive
values.
Top 3 Key Learnings



Radical Responsibility: True resilience
demands taking 100% ownership of your outcomes.




Continuous Identity Expansion: Scaling a
startup requires rapid evolution.




Action-Oriented Reframing: In the face of
setbacks, acknowledge the situation, reframe it logically,
and immediately focus your energy on executing the very next
logical action.


Who Should Listen?

If you are a Founder, Entrepreneur, Space Stakeholder, or Impact
Entrepreneur working in GreenTech, SpaceTech, or AgriTech, this
episode is an absolute masterclass in merging high-level mission
design with practical scalability.
Links, Mentions & Resources



Listen to the full episode:
podcast.startupsfromscience.de




Follow Besan Dahboor Engel on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/besandahboor/




Partners: @ReVora, @Space Economic Forum,
@Titans Space Industries




Hashtags: #DeepTech #SpaceTech #FoodSecurity
#StartupsFromScience #AgriTech #ImpactFounders #ExpansionMindset
#Sustainability #OverviewEffect #Entrepreneurship