In this interview by Aaron Boley (Physics and Astronomy, UBC; Co-Director, Outer Space Institute), Margarita Marinova provides a snapshot of her contributions to space and planetary exploration, in both science and engineering capacities, with the overarching goal of advancing human exploration. She discusses her passion for gaining deeper understanding of the Earth and its planetary neighbours, improving rocket capabilities and reusability, and applying these advancements to improve life on Earth.

Dr. Marinova received her BSc in Aerospace Engineering from MIT, and obtained a Masters and PhD in Planetary Sciences from Caltech. She has worked at Airbus Space Propulsion in engine nozzle research and development, and NASA Ames Research Center as a planetary scientist studying Mars analogue environments. Most recently she was at SpaceX as a propulsion systems responsible engineer for the vertical takeoff and landing F9R-Dev vehicle, vehicle responsible engineer for internal research and the reusability program, and senior Mars development engineer working on vehicle design and planetary mission architectures for the Starship vehicle. She’s currently an independent consultant.

Dr. Margarita Marinova has been contributing to space and planetary exploration, in both science and engineering capacities, with the overarching goal to advance human exploration. She is passionate about gaining deeper understanding of the Earth and its planetary neighbors, improving rocket capabilities and reusability, and applying these advancements to improve life on Earth. Dr. Marinova received her BSc in Aerospace Engineering from MIT, and obtained a Masters and PhD in Planetary Sciences from Caltech. She has worked at Airbus Space Propulsion in engine nozzle research and development, and NASA Ames Research Center as a planetary scientist studying Mars analogue environments. Most recently she was at SpaceX as a propulsion systems responsible engineer for the vertical takeoff and landing F9R-Dev vehicle, vehicle responsible engineer for internal research and the reusability program, and senior Mars development engineer working on vehicle design and planetary mission architectures for the Starship vehicle. She’s currently an independent consultant.