Theresa Beech is one of the few women who own and run a satellite ground systems company. And to think, if it wasn't for her mom's prodding, she might be in a different field. Aren't moms great? (We're practicing for Mother's Day.)

Theresa, who studied physics and atmospheric science,jumped at the chance to acquire the US public sector subsidiary of her European employer.As of April, this trio (including Gonzalo Garcia and Ron Luzier), led by Theresa, own and run Rockville, Md.-based MetiSpace Technologies; it provides satellite ground systems solutions for agencies like NASA. The 50-person company works with a prime contractor to provide ground systems for a constellation of satellites providing the communications backbone of the US government.

The contract focuses on NASA's Telemetry and Data Relay Satellites, a 10-satellite constellation. The software provided by MetiSpace controls NASA's satellites and schedules when it communicates with the few ground stations on earth. The company also worked on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has been circlingthe moon since 2009. Theresa tells us the change in the company's ownership makes it easier to go after defense and national security work. (There's lots of hoop-jumping when you're foreign-owned.)

Being a woman-owned business has its pluses in the public sector space. Not only do agencies have their contracting goals but primes like to show they're partnering with woman-owned firms. Theresa tells us she was never a kid who wanted to be an astronaut but just jumped at opportunities as they came along. (She also had a mother pushing her into a science field.) She was offered a job at Boeing out of grad school working on the alpha modules on the space station. From there she worked at GMV, spending over 6 years in Spain (she's fluent in Spanish) doing flight dynamics work. And since there's a strong correlation between math and the performing arts, she nearly minored in piano.