African Youth Engagement with Global Space Governance: The Case of Arizona State University's Interplanetary Initiative Space Governance Innovation Contest

Abstract

The resolution adopted at the African Leadership Conference on Space Science and Technology in Ethiopia in 2019 stated, inter alia, that African youth should be central to the development of the African space agenda. This emphasis on young people as priority future space decision makers and implementers is a transitional and transformational endeavor that represents a change in the African outer space ecosystem. Utilizing the Space Governance Innovation Contest (the Contest)-an interplanetary initiative organized by Arizona State University as a case study, this article analyzes the pursuit, role, and training of African youth as transitional and transformative within the outer space industry. By seeking ideas from this nontraditional source of space policy ideas, there is not only the possibility for greater innovation regarding the current space governance regime but also the prospect of partially remedying the American/Euro-centric bias that has plagued international law and space law. This article also serves as the lead article to this special issue of the New Space journal, which features the top contributions from the contest, and other youth submissions as well as contributions from seasoned commentators. These submissions grouped as ''Voices of the New Space Generation'' represent the first time these African youth have written about space topics for an international journal. This article describes the process taken to get the contest participants to the stage of presenting their arguments to lawyers at the American Society of International Law and publishing in this special issue.