Meshack Kinyua Ndiritu is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s GeoTech Center and capacity lead for space and emerging technologies at the African Space Agency. He is a space systems engineer and policy leader at the forefront of space, artificial intelligence (AI), and emerging technologies. A founding architect of the African Space Agency, an organ of the African Union, he has played a central role in shaping continental space governance, leading the development of the African space policy and strategy, as well as AI governance and strategy for Africa. He has mobilized over three hundred million dollars in funding for African space programs, focusing on upstream and downstream innovations. He champions collaborations with global partners, including space agencies, development banks, industry, academia, foundations, and more. 

At the African Space Agency, Ndiritu has driven the continent’s largest space capacity-building program, training over ten thousand scientists, supporting hundreds of graduate students, and building a pan-African academic network with over one hundred institutions. He also established collaboration platforms such as digital learning systems and networks of excellence. In his work, he has championed the integration of technologies, including AI, machine learning, and cloud computing into Earth observation. On the technical front, Ndiritu has engineered CubeSats, built AI agents, developed Internet of Things systems, and advanced radio frequency and position, navigation, and timing technologies. He has led global scientific collaborations such as the Climate & Energy Space Research International Consortium’s global environmental data network spanning five continents. As founder of AfriOrbit, he continues to push innovation in satellite systems and climate-tech solutions. 

A recognized voice in global space diplomacy, Ndiritu contributes to International Academy of Astronautics study groups. His work bridges engineering innovation and policy leadership to drive sustainable and inclusive space development. Ndiritu has contributed heavily to several notable policy initiatives, including the Group of Twenty strategy for open innovation, the African Union strategy on artificial intelligence, the African space policy and strategy, the African Space Agency Statute, and the science, technology, and innovation strategy for Africa.