HOUSTON, Texas (September 30, 2026)— World Space Week events, beginning October 4 in 100 nations, will celebrate how launch innovation has stimulated the rapidly-growing space economy and enabled new uses of space to help the world.
“This year’s theme is the Rocket Revolution,” said Dennis Stone, World Space Week Association President. “It recognizes how increased space access and falling launch prices have stimulated the space ecosystem and exciting new space applications,” he said. The rocketry theme will also be used to inspire student interest in STEM, he added.
Planned World Space Week 2026 activities include:
ESA and The Pokémon Company International will celebrate World Space Week 2026 with a Europe-wide family exhibition combining real space science with Pokémon, alongside special Pokémon GO activities at participating museums.
BBC StoryWorkswill mark World Space Week with the online premiere of its upcoming series Space Renaissance.
NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will host a World Space Week Expo featuring Space Shuttle Atlantis, highlighting the Rocket Revolution and its impact on space exploration and access.
Students and rocket clubs around the world will put the Rocket Revolution into action by launching model rockets. In the U.S., enthusiasts will launch Vulcan model rockets provided by United Launch Alliance and Estes.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education and SUPARCO, Pakistan’s national space agency, will lead large-scale national celebrations, with thousands of schools and events engaging students and the public in World Space Week.
UN-declared World Space Week, the largest space event on Earth, last year was celebrated by 50,000 events held by space agencies, schools, aerospace companies, and others according to the Association. World Space Week is held each October 4-10.
John Elbon, former ULA Interim CEO, serves as Honorary Chair of World Space Week 2026 to help showcase the launch industry. Tory Bruno, President of Blue Origin National Security, will serve as Honorary Chair in 2027 with the theme “To the Moon.”
“We encourage students and the public to celebrate space in their own way next week as part of the biggest space event in the world,” Stone said. The public can see what’s planned in their area at worldspaceweek.org.
About World Space Week
The largest space event on Earth, UN-declared World Space Week is celebrated October 4–10 annually. It is an international celebration of the contribution of space science and technology to the betterment of the human condition. World Space Week consists of numerous space-related events held by space agencies, aerospace companies, schools, planetaria, museums, astronomy clubs, and others in a common timeframe to achieve greater student and public impact through synchronization. In 2025, 50,000 events were reported in 102 countries.
About World Space Week Association
World Space Week Association is the global coordinator of World Space Week. As an international non-government, non-profit organization, it serves as a permanent observer on the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and is supported by voluntary contributions from sponsors including Blue Origin, United Launch Alliance, Texas Instruments, Firefly Aerospace, L3 Harris, BAE Systems, Black Sky, Airbus, Club for the Future, Cesium Astro, Space Foundation, Gaia Horizons, and Space News. The Association was founded in 1982 and is one of the world’s oldest space advocacy organizations.
Media Contacts:
Dennis Stone, dstone@worldspaceweek.org (USA)
Alma Okpalefe, aokpalefe@worldspaceweek.org (Nigeria)
Ilayda Edali, iedali@worldspaceweek.org (Netherlands)