Speakers

Wanjiku Chebet Kanjumba is an aerospace engineer, futurist, and space enthusiast with a deep passion for advancing humanity’s presence in space and expanding space accessibility. She holds degrees in Aerospace Engineering, including a Bachelor’s and Master’s, with a minor in Space Operations. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering alongside certifications in Engineering Leadership, Engineering Innovation, and Engineering Project Management. She contributes to groundbreaking projects such as the Omega Spaceport, as a proposed first-ever commercial equatorial launch facility designed to democratize access to space for underrepresented regions across Africa, Asia, and Oceania, following through as part of the first steps toward an Integrated Network for Commercial Spaceports (INCS).

Wanjiku’s career spans both academia and industry, having worked on projects ranging from NASA’s RASC-AL competitions (designing lunar landers and Mars mission architectures) to ESA-funded research on the effects of ionizing radiation on astronauts. She is the first Kenyan graduate of the Advanced PoSSUM Academy Scientist-Astronaut Candidacy course, gaining hands-on experience in suborbital flight operations and noctilucent cloud studies. Most recently, she was selected as a Titans Space R&D Career Astronaut-Candidate, scheduled for an inaugural spaceflight in March 2029.

Beyond her technical expertise, she is dedicated to fostering STEM education and inspiring future generations. Through mentorship, workshops, and outreach initiatives, she works to make space exploration accessible worldwide. Having grown up dreaming of space in a context with limited opportunities, she is deeply motivated by the belief that space technology can serve as a catalyst for global progress and equity. Her ultimate goal is to deliver transformative innovations to the aerospace field while breaking barriers and enabling sustainable human expansion into space.