Missions to Mars and grand space station plans are flying thick and fast with the US and China going toe-to-toe. But it isn’t just wealthier countries going intergalactic – Mexico and Argentina are now looking to form a regional space agency, following in the footsteps of the African Union. Yesterday, Mexico’s Congress hosted an international panel on how a ‘new space race’ can benefit health and education outcomes on Earth. But rather than conducting costly exploration missions, developing nations are focusing on technologies like satellites “because it brings an excellent investment return and helps close the digital divide”, managing director of Space in Africa Temidayo Oniosun said. Satellites can also help to improve farming practices and natural disaster management by better tracking weather patterns. And we love a well tracked weather event…