A high-level German NewSpace delegation visited Kenya from 1st to 5th December 2025 as part of a program organized by AHK Services Eastern Africa Ltd. on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). The delegation comprised leading German companies in satellite technologies, mission design, systems engineering, geospatial applications, and other NewSpace innovations.

The Nakuja Rocket Project at JKUAT was invited to participate in the program, attend the conference sessions, and host the delegation for a technical visit. The mission’s objective was to build connections between German industry and Kenyan institutions active in NewSpace and emerging aerospace technologies.

Day 1: High-Level Conference at Villa Rosa Kempinski

The delegation’s program began with a full-day conference at Villa Rosa Kempinski, Nairobi, bringing together government leaders, academic institutions, industry experts, and innovators from Kenya and Germany.

Opening Remarks and Keynotes

The conference opened with welcome remarks from:
• Dr. Gabriele Rose, Delegate – Delegation of German Industry and Commerce for Eastern Africa.

In her opening address, Dr. Rose highlighted the strategic importance of Kenya within the global space ecosystem, noting:
“Kenya’s proximity to the equator provides natural advantages for launch activities and space missions. This geographical position offers efficiencies that few countries can match, making Kenya an attractive partner in future NewSpace initiatives.”

Two keynote speeches followed:
• Mr. René Reinhardt, Federal Senior Policy Officer – BMWi, presented Germany as a Space Partner in Kenya, outlining the strategic objectives behind the delegation’s visit.
• Brig. Hillary Kipkosgei, CEO – Kenya Space Agency (KSA), delivered a keynote on Enhancing the Utilization of Space in Kenya, emphasizing national priorities and ongoing opportunities for collaboration.

The event was officially opened by:
• Ms. Teresia Mbaika, Principal Secretary – State Department for Aviation and Aerospace Development.

Kenyan Contributions

Kenyan institutions highlighted local advancements and opportunities for engagement through presentations from:
• Major Kenneth Kanda – Kenya Space Agency
• Bramwel Nakholi – Space Society of Kenya

JKUAT representatives and members of the Nakuja Project participated in the discussions as invited attendees, contributing insights on student-led research, rocketry development, and the role of universities in supporting Kenya’s growing space sector.

Presentations by the German Delegation

German companies and institutions also shared their technological capabilities, project experiences, and areas of potential collaboration with Kenyan partners. Contributions were made by representatives from across the NewSpace ecosystem, including Andre Chripunow of BDLI; Maria Kislat, Project Coordinator at BDI; Wenzel Schoroth from the German Space Agency at DLR; Roberto Palmori of IMS Space Consultancy; Andreas Wiegand of ASTOS Solutions; Fernando from Berlin Space Technologies; Manfred Mettendorff of DEV Systemtechnik; and Andreas Vogler of Astrostorm / Andreas Vogler Studio. Their presentations highlighted advanced mission-design tools, satellite manufacturing approaches, ground-segment innovations, and opportunities for joint research, training, and technology transfer.

Day 2: Technical Visit to JKUAT and the Nakuja Rocket Project

On 3rd December, the German delegation visited the iPIC workshops at JKUAT for a technical demonstration by the Nakuja Rocket Project, a pioneering student-led rocketry initiative. The visit provided the delegation with firsthand insight into Kenya’s growing capabilities in rocketry and aerospace engineering.

The technical visit began with a presentation by Dr. Shohei Aoki, who introduced the history, objectives, and achievements of the Nakuja Project. This provided context for the subsequent demonstrations of the rocket subsystems.

Student-Led Subsystem Demonstrations

The Nakuja Project, founded by Dr. Shohei Aoki and led by students and faculty at JKUAT, focuses on developing experimental rockets, building solid and liquid propulsion systems, advancing avionics and flight control technologies, and designing and fabricating rocket airframes to provide students with hands-on aerospace engineering experience.

Delegates were guided through several subsystems of the Nakuja rocket, where students explained the design, functionality, and testing procedures that support the project’s engineering work. The demonstrations covered avionics, ignition, propulsion, airframe development, and launch-pad operations, providing the delegation with a comprehensive view of the project’s technical ecosystem.

This demonstration illustrated the ignition and initial burn characteristics of the solid rocket motor, allowing delegates to observe the testing methods used to validate propellant performance.

Students also demonstrated the propellant grain-casting process used in the Nakuja solid rocket motors. They described the formulation methodology, the safety and handling protocols, the curing process, and the quality-assurance checks required to produce uniform, reliable solid propellant grains for flight-test motors.

Throughout the visit, the German delegates interacted closely with the students, examining components, asking technical questions, and discussing engineering approaches used across the subsystems. The exchanges highlighted shared interests in propulsion research, avionics development, manufacturing methods, and future opportunities for collaboration and joint experimentation.

KeFIRE Liquid Rocket Engine

Students also presented KeFIRE, a Kenya-developed liquid rocket engine designed as a technology demonstrator to build local capability in propulsion engineering, test-stand operations, and aerospace manufacturing. KeFIRE represents one of the first structured liquid propulsion programs emerging from East Africa.

The project has two primary objectives. First, it focuses on developing a skilled aerospace workforce, providing hands-on training for students and early-career engineers to create a sustainable talent pipeline for Kenya’s space program. Second, it aims at building Kenya’s first indigenous liquid propulsion capability by designing, manufacturing, and testing a fully Kenyan-built liquid rocket engine to establish national expertise and technical infrastructure.

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Nakuja continues to advance Kenya’s long-term capabilities in rocketry, applied engineering, and space-technology development, contributing to the country’s emerging aerospace ecosystem. The German NewSpace delegation’s visit further strengthened the growing links between German and Kenyan institutions in aerospace and geospatial innovation. Through the conference engagements and the technical visit to JKUAT, both sides identified concrete opportunities for research collaboration, talent development, and industry partnerships—laying a strong foundation for sustained cooperation and future growth within Kenya’s space sector.