“What do you see in the dark?”
Participants observe galaxies, experience outer space through virtual reality (VR) headsets, and perceive the universe in new ways.
“That is what we intentionally designed for – as an entry point to make space and our place in it feel human, accessible, and meaningful,” says Agnes Chavez, an interdisciplinary artist and educator who founded STEMarts Lab, which organizes the immersive Astro Tour experience.
For her, artworks can serve as a doorway to space science for young people, especially girls.
Pathways to the stars were the focus of the ITU Space Connect webinar for the latest International Girls in ICT Day.
Chavez explained how one 16-year-old girl, working as a co-creator with established scientists and artists, made her first “cosmic web” visualization through creative coding.
Space for everyone
Space-related careers today offer a growing range of entry points.
“Space is for everybody. You don’t have to be an engineer, you don’t have to be a scientist,” said hydrologist and space-science expert Raha Hakimdavar, founder and CEO of Zyon Space. “There is absolutely a place for you, and I think it’s actually a much bigger place for people that are coming from different disciplines.”
It needs to be understood as a wide-open field for problem-solving, starting with Earthly challenges like water scarcity, drought and emissions, she added.
Structural impediments
Yet capable, interested girls can still encounter steep barriers, noted Maya Nasr, who co-founded and leads the Humanity United with MIT Art and Nanotechnology in Space (HUMANS) project, asking: “Is it because of personal limitations, or are there structural limitations of the system?”
Her own pathway to the space sector – from growing up in Lebanon to studying at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States – required persistent navigation, with a lot of self-doubt and questioning along the way.
Barriers to space entry can extend beyond gender, with passports, visas, export controls and place of birth adding further constraints, Nasr added.
Inspiration alone is not enough to keep people going through their studies or in the space industry, she added. Genuine inclusion depends on accessible infrastructure, funding, regulatory and visa streamlining, and equitable access policies.
Visible inspiration
Limited visibility, access and opportunity all add up to the industry’s persistent underrepresentation of girls and women.
“You cannot become what you cannot see,” said session moderator Edith Hattie Kalagho, co-founder of Spatial Girls Network. “Once given the opportunity, girls not only participate – they excel.”
Recalling her experience in geospatial technologies, Kalagho recalled: “There were very few girls and young women around me and even fewer who saw this as something they could be part of.”
That’s why girls need to be part of the conversation about space through the creative arts, too, agreed Chavez. “They know that they’re co-creators, they’re co-authors, and… they basically step into leadership.”
Girls and young women must be part of shaping the future of space-enabled connectivity, and their perspectives are essential to building resilient, inclusive and sustainable digital ecosystems.
To learn more, replay Space Connect Episode 3: Girls & space: Pathways to the stars.
Future episodes
ITU’s Space Connect sessions continue exploring how space and satellites can support seamless digital connectivity.
Don’t miss the next episode: Beyond the horizon: framing the future of space communications
Upcoming sessions will explore telecommunications, technology governance, artificial intelligence (AI), spectrum management, and the evolving ecosystem for space services.
Learn more about the ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) and its Space Services Department.
Source: https://www.itu.int/hub/2026/05/from-participation-to-creation-girls-in-the-space-ecosystem/
