This Aerospace Engineer Believes Kenya Can Be a Space Gateway

She once wondered why the moon followed her through the night sky as a child in Nairobi; now, years later, the Kenyan aerospace engineer is channeling that same curiosity into an ambitious effort to build a commercial spaceport on the equator, betting that Africa’s geography, talent and growing technical capacity can help reshape who gets to participate in, and profit from, the global space economy.

On clear nights in Nairobi, when the sky opens just enough to reveal the outline of the moon, Wanjiku Kanjumba still remembers the question that first set her on an unlikely path.

“It started when I looked up into the stars [at the age of four]. The first thing going through my mind was: ‘why is this big thing [the Moon] in the sky following me when I’m walking at night?’” she told Forbes Africa.

The curiosity stayed with her, deepening into something more deliberate over time. “I marveled at the vastness. I’m a person who’s fascinated by the impossible; the unattainable.”

In a country better known for distance running and mobile money innovation than for rockets, Kanjumba’s ambitions once seemed remote. Access to aerospace infrastructure was limited, and for years, space remained something watched from afar. That began to change when she witnessed a rocket launch at 15.

“That’s when I realized that this technology isn’t far-fetched. It’s not just in the movies,” Kanjumba says.

Her journey would take her from Kenyan classrooms to Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University in the United States, where she earned a master’s degree in aerospace engineering, and later to University of Florida, where she is pursuing a PhD. Along the way, she co-founded Vicillion, a space company with an ambition that reflects both technical confidence and geographic reality.

The company’s flagship proposal, the Omega Spaceport, aims to establish Kenya’s first commercial equatorial launch facility by 2029. Positioned along the equator, the site would take advantage of the Earth’s rotational speed, allowing rockets to launch with greater efficiency and reduced fuel requirements.

Located on the equator, meaning less distance to space, Kenya’s positioning saves time and money, with expected cost reductions of over 40%, Kanjumba shares, before revealing that the facility has interest from global corporations ahead of construction.

“Why not leverage our perfect location to launch rockets, which is something the more advanced space countries can’t replicate,” she says.

The idea places Kenya within a small group of countries that can offer equatorial launch advantages, a technical edge that has long drawn interest from global aerospace firms. But turning that advantage into a functioning launch economy is far more complex.

Kenya’s space ambitions are not new. The Kenya Space Agency, established in 2017, has been quietly building the institutional groundwork for participation in the global space sector. Its efforts have focused on satellite development, Earth observation and data applications for agriculture, climate monitoring and disaster management. The agency has also partnered with international organizations on small satellite launches and capacity building, helping train a generation of Kenyan engineers and scientists.

In 2023, Kenya launched its first operational Earth observation satellite, a milestone that signaled a shift from aspiration to execution. The agency has also worked on regulatory frameworks, including space policy and licensing guidelines, aimed at attracting private investment while maintaining oversight of national assets.

Still, the gap between policy and infrastructure remains wide. Building a spaceport requires billions in capital, long-term regulatory certainty and a deep technical workforce. Kenya, like many emerging space nations, faces constraints in all three.

Financing is among the most immediate challenges. Space infrastructure projects carry high upfront costs and long payback periods, often deterring private investors without government guarantees or international partnerships. Regulatory clarity is improving but still evolving, particularly around liability, insurance and foreign participation in launch operations.

There are also questions of local capacity. While Kenya has made strides in training engineers, the scale required for a fully operational launch ecosystem, from propulsion specialists to safety regulators, is still developing. Supply chains, too, remain largely external, meaning that much of the economic value could initially flow outside the country.

Yet these constraints are also where Kanjumba sees opportunity.

“When equipment is shipped to Africa, there has to be trust in more than just technology and resource exchange. Through that trust, you gain access to advanced companies where we can transfer knowledge and skills to build a stronger technical workforce within Africa.”

Her argument reflects a broader shift in how African policymakers and entrepreneurs are approaching industrial development. Rather than shielding domestic markets, there is growing openness to using foreign partnerships as a bridge to local capability.

“By allowing foreign companies to launch their rockets, the idea of building and launching rockets on African soil becomes more attainable, because you’ve taken the time to have this facility, you’ve nurtured it.”

If successful, such a model could mirror earlier transformations in sectors like telecommunications, where international investment helped accelerate infrastructure before local firms took on larger roles.

The global space economy, now valued in the hundreds of billions of dollars, is expanding rapidly, driven by demand for satellite connectivity, Earth observation data and commercial launch services. Africa’s share remains small but is growing, with countries like Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt investing in satellite programs and research institutions.

Kenya’s potential role is more specific. Its geography offers a natural advantage for launches, and its growing tech ecosystem provides a base for downstream applications, from geospatial analytics to climate services. A functioning spaceport could anchor both.

But success will depend on execution. Projects of this scale often face delays, cost overruns and shifting political priorities. There are also environmental and community considerations, particularly in coastal or remote regions where launch sites are typically located.

For Kanjumba, the technical and logistical hurdles are part of the challenge that drew her in as a child.

Her ambition for Africa to become the global gateway to space is no longer a dream. It’s an emerging reality that could stimulate Africa’s positioning in the centi-hundred-million-dollar space economy.

Yet she returns, often, to a simpler motivation. The same curiosity that once led her to question the moon’s presence in the night sky now shapes how she thinks about the future.

In a country where space once felt distant, she is betting that proximity, both geographic and psychological, can change that.

Khadija Sharife (South Africa/International)

Most Impactful Work: Her investigations for the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and contributions to books like “Tax Us If You Can: Why Africa Should Stand Up for Tax Justice.”

Short Bio: An award-winning investigative journalist and senior editor for Africa at OCCRP, Khadija Sharife specializes in illicit financial flows, political economy, and environmental predation. Her work often uncovers complex international corruption networks.

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