Andrés Mora, NASA robotics engineer and co-founder of the Central American Space Congress, aims to connect talent and companies with industry needs

Central America’s participation in the space industry should not be limited to scientists, engineers, or academic projects.

Andrés Mora Vargas, a Costa Rican robotics engineer at NASA’s Ames Research Center, believes it is also necessary to involve companies, universities, and public institutions.

Mora is the co-founder of the Central American Space Congress (CEC), whose third edition is taking place this week in Guatemala.

The gathering brings together students, researchers, and entrepreneurs with representatives from organizations such as NASA, JAXA, DLR, ISRO, and Blue Origin.

“We want the Central American Space Congress to be that helpful hand that helps open real opportunities for our people,” Mora stated.

The objective includes generating connections that can continue after the event through internships, university collaborations, business projects, or new commercial relationships.

Mora identifies opportunities for the region in areas such as software, robotics, manufacturing, and data analysis.

However, possessing these capabilities does not guarantee entry into the space industry on its own.

“We can have excellent engineers, researchers, and companies, but we need to identify the client, understand their requirements, and demonstrate that we can meet them in terms of quality, cost, and deadline,” he explained.

A Central American software company, for example, would have to understand the need of a potential client, evaluate whether it can meet it, and prove that its solution works.

That process requires time, financing, and access to people with market knowledge—factors that, according to Mora, can slow down projects with potential.

Therefore, he proposes bringing entrepreneurs and researchers together from the outset around concrete problems and potential buyers, in addition to funding initial tests.

“For me, the measure of success will be being able to say: out of this meeting came a test that worked, a first contract, or a hiring. That is where potential begins to turn into economic activity,” he pointed out.

The presence of international space organization representatives allows these market needs to be brought closer to participants from the region.

“It is an opportunity to learn firsthand what challenges these organizations are facing, what capabilities they need, and where we can contribute from Latin America,” Mora affirmed.

This exchange can show a student new professional pathways and a company markets that have not been part of its activity until now.

Mora maintains that Latin American talent is already participating in international aerospace projects.

In Costa Rica, he mentions as an example the participation of professionals in the development of software for Astrobee, a robotic system that operates inside the International Space Station.

“We are part of that innovation and that economy; we need to leverage that experience to open more paths from our countries,” he stated.

The possibilities are not limited to building satellites, robots, or spacecraft either.

Information generated by satellites can be used in agriculture, environmental change monitoring, and disaster response, among other applications.

For Mora, capitalizing on these possibilities requires expanding the stakeholders involved in the discussion.

“The conversation has to reach companies, universities, and public institutions, because each one has a part to contribute,” he noted.

The goal is for existing capabilities to connect with concrete needs and turn into projects with continuity outside the academic sphere.

Mora knows this process from his own professional background.

Nearly two decades ago, an opportunity to complete an internship alongside Costa Rican astronaut Franklin Chang Díaz allowed him to get close to NASA’s work.

He then continued his preparation, learned Japanese to study in Japan, and subsequently developed his career at the Ames Center in Silicon Valley.

He currently has over a decade of work at NASA and has participated in projects related to robotics and autonomous systems.

Part of the CEC’s rationale precisely consists of multiplying that type of connection.

“We want a conversation to turn into an internship, a university collaboration, or a business between companies,” Mora stated.

The next edition of the Central American Space Congress will be held in Costa Rica, Mora advanced.

The co-founder of the gathering invited Latin American entrepreneurs to participate with proposals and questions aimed at identifying partners and exploring business opportunities.

“This economy is already being built, and we have the capabilities to take our place in it,” he affirmed.

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