As a Forbes Africa ‘30 Under 30’ honoree, I want to help define Africa’s next era in space

One of my earliest memories is looking at the moon as a child in Nairobi, Kenya, and wondering, “Why is the moon following me?” Space became the ultimate canvas for my curiosity.

The moment that transformed that curiosity into a mission came in 2011, when I watched the final space shuttle launch live in Florida. Surrounded by launch infrastructure, I remember asking, “Why don’t we have this in Africa?” That question never left me.

Today, as an aerospace engineer, entrepreneur and Ph.D. candidate specializing in space infrastructure and interplanetary logistics at the University of Florida, my mission is to ensure that the next generation of African children can look at the sky and know they have the infrastructure to reach it from their own continent.

That mission was further affirmed when I was selected for the Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 Class of 2026, which honored young innovators, entrepreneurs, creatives and changemakers across the continent. The recognition was deeply personal, but I did not see it as being only about me. It represents Kenya, African aerospace innovation and every young person who has been told that an ambition is too large or too unrealistic because of where they come from. It is also a responsibility to turn recognition into pathways for others.

My Ph.D. research at UF examines interplanetary logistics and the infrastructure required for sustainable human expansion beyond Earth. My core dissertation research focuses on HARMONIA, a hybrid docking and grappling architecture for cooperative docking, in-orbit servicing and the capture of defined non-cooperative spacecraft. HARMONIA addresses one part of the physical infrastructure required for sustainable space operations, while the broader field of interplanetary logistics reinforces why safety, redundancy, servicing and mission resilience matter.

UF has provided the combination of technical depth and interdisciplinary development I need for the next phase of my career. I hope my work demonstrates that an ambitious space concept can unite imagination with mathematical and engineering discipline. I want HARMONIA to contribute a rigorous framework for more interoperable, serviceable and sustainable spacecraft operations. 

Globally, I want my work to help create interfaces — physical interfaces that allow spacecraft to work together — as well as institutional interfaces connecting universities, companies, governments and emerging space nations.

For many years, conversations about Africa and space began with what the continent lacked. The narrative was that Africa was “behind” in the space race. Yet Kenya possesses a geographic advantage that even Florida lacks; its location near the equator is a physics-defined advantage because the Earth rotates fastest there. 

An eastward-traveling launch vehicle can benefit from that rotational motion, potentially reducing propellant requirements or increasing the payload delivered to certain orbits. Physics does not care about historical borders or gross domestic product. I had often thought, “If no one else is going to build this infrastructure for Kenya, perhaps that is my job.”  

Geography alone, however, does not create a space economy. It must be matched with rigorous engineering, range safety, environmental responsibility, workforce development, financing and trusted partnerships. Africa possesses capabilities, perspectives, talent and geographic assets that the global space sector needs. We have an opportunity to create an African-led model that is technically excellent, sustainable and conscientious.

I want Africa to be a co-author of the next chapter of space exploration, launching its own satellites, hosting major infrastructure, contributing to lunar and Martian missions, and helping define the economic and technical systems of a multiplanetary future.

More than that, I want my lasting impact to be the open door I leave for the future Gators. I imagine being in my 70s still working on some version of this mission and trying to make the sky make sense for the next generation, the way it never quite did for me initially. 

If people look back and say the Gator (no matter where they are originally from) in that lab made sure humanity reached for the stars exponentially and actually got to touch them, I'll consider the work done.

Wanjiku Chebet Kanjumba is an aerospace engineer, futurist, entrepreneur, Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 Class of 2026 honoree, and Ph.D. candidate specializing in space infrastructure and interplanetary logistics at the UF Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. She holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in aerospace engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, serves as the CEO and chairwoman of Vicillion, and is a designated R&D career astronaut-candidate for Titans Space Industries and a citizen scientist associated with European Space Agency-supported research.