RIIS has been selected to host Karman Week 2026, the flagship annual gathering of The Karman Project, a global foundation dedicated to advancing peace and cooperation in space.
Taking place in Cape Town from 2–6 November 2026, the event will bring together 15 influential leaders from across the global space sector, including astronauts, agency executives, researchers and industry pioneers.
The appointment marks a significant milestone for both RIIS and Africa’s growing role in the global space economy.
For the first time, Karman Week will be hosted on the African continent, creating new opportunities to strengthen connections between African innovation ecosystems and the international space community while showcasing the continent’s scientific talent, entrepreneurship and leadership in space-enabled innovation.
The annual gathering will convene 15 high-impact global leaders in space – including astronauts, agency heads, industry executives, and doctors – for a week of strategic dialogue, trustbuilding, and collaboration. This year’s selected delegation includes Karman Fellows from such organizations as the Bahrain Space Agency, UK Space Agency, Leonardo, Senegal Space Agency, OroraTech, Orienspace, Philippine Space Agency, European Space Policy Institute, Brooklyn Experimental Art Foundation, Indian Space Research Organisation, Center for Space Medicine Research, and AstroAccess, among others.
The Karman Project and RIIS share a long-standing relationship, with RIIS Chairman and former CEO Davis Cook selected as a Karman Fellow in 2021, the Fellowship’s second cohort. The Karman Project, RIIS, and Davis share a mission of utilising space as a catalyst for sustainable development and innovation, with Karman Week 2026 marking a milestone in this joint effort.
“Hosting Karman Week 2026 in South Africa is an exciting milestone for the continent’s growing role in the global space sector. For RIIS, it represents an important opportunity to strengthen connections between African innovation ecosystems and the international space community, while showcasing the incredible entrepreneurship, scientific talent, and collaborative spirit emerging across the continent. It also provides a unique platform to build meaningful global partnerships that can accelerate the growth and impact of Africa’s space and Earth observation sectors.” — Imraan Saloojee, Executive Director, RIIS
Cape Town is one of Africa’s most dynamic space hubs, home to a growing cluster of companies and research institutions at the forefront of the continent’s space economy. From satellite manufacturers and Earth observation specialists to systems engineers and academic research labs, the Western Cape hosts a vibrant ecosystem.
The region is also home to the Cape Town office of the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) and the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory, as well as the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) Hermanus facility, Africa’s leading space science and space weather research center. Opportunities for local engagement abound across industry, science, and the arts; a fitting setting for Karman Week. The program will include collaborative sessions with the local innovation cluster, alongside curated cultural activities and focused leadership modules. These immersive experiences aim to build trust and foster collaboration across borders and sectors, with the Karman Fellows as a central node.
RIIS has significant expertise in the space sector, particularly in growing the continent’s emerging space innovation ecosystem through the implementation of capacity-building programs, working with local space agencies in building innovation roadmaps and strategic policy documents, and supporting the establishment of global space programs on the continent.
RIIS has been a pioneer in unlocking satellite data to address critical developmental and environmental challenges in Africa, notably serving as a founding partner of the Digital Earth Africa platform, which aims to improve lives across Africa by providing planners and policy makers with crucial Earth observation information to support better decision making, and through enhanced access to satellite data to progress sustainable development outcomes.
In 2024, RIIS was appointed as the interim host for the Digital Earth Africa Programme Management Office. Digital Earth Africa, now fully managed and owned by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), is presently the world’s largest operator of open data cube (ODC) infrastructure, and used extensively by stakeholders throughout Africa as a free platform providing satellite imagery and products specific to the African continent.
RIIS also manages the Africa Earth Observation Challenge (AEOC), a continent-wide space-tech startup competition. Now the continent’s flagship platform for EO innovation, AEOC passed a decade of operation this year, having worked with more than 300 startups across 23 countries, helping early-stage innovators move from ideas to deployable solutions through mentorship, technical support, partnerships, and market access.
Looking ahead, RIIS and its partners aim to continue enabling space-enabled solutions across agriculture, climate resilience, urban planning, and more by expanding AEOC into a multi-phase innovation funnel, spanning youth engagement, startup acceleration, and investor readiness.
“Convening Karman Week in Africa for the first time is not a symbolic gesture; it is a recognition of where some of the most consequential work in space is happening. Innovations and partnerships spanning the continent are shaping how the world understands what space technology can deliver on Earth across development, innovation, and sustainability. We can think of no better partner than RIIS to accelerate this crucial work, and we are coming to Cape Town to learn as much as to contribute.” — Hannah Ashford, Managing Director, The Karman Project
With the Karman Project-RIIS partnership coming to fruition, the African space ecosystem further underlines its commitment to international cooperation across multiple spheres of space activity and local development. As the continent’s largest innovation-focused advisory firm, RIIS is in a pivotal position to bridge the Karman Community and emerging initiatives across Africa that use space technology for tangible benefit on Earth. The 2026 Karman Fellows come equipped to lead and to learn, and the partnerships that emerge from Karman Week 2026 will drive lasting impact in space applications across the continent and beyond.
Now in its seventh edition, Karman Week has previously been held in countries including the United Arab Emirates, France, Maldives, Bulgaria, and India. The event is closed to the public and invitation-only, focused on deepening cooperation among the world’s most responsible and influential space actors. Further program details will be released later in the year. For more information on the event or media inquiries, please contact: fellowship@karmanproject.org
About The Karman Project
The Karman Project is a global non-profit foundation promoting peace and security in space through international cooperation. The foundation’s unique convening power enables it to bring together public and private sector decision-makers to build common understandings and impactful projects that advance sustainability, education, science, security, and capacity building efforts. To date, The Karman Project’s highly curated community of entrepreneurs, astronauts, space executives, researchers, and artists from over 70 nations has initiated projects serving the immediate needs of more than five million people worldwide. The foundation is headquartered in Berlin, Germany.
