posted 10-05-2026 02:24 PM               

World Space Week 2026 Celebrates the 'Rocket Revolution'

World Space Week events, which began Oct. 4, 2026 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.

World Space Week 2026 activities include:

• ESA and The Pokémon Company International are celebrating 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 StoryWorks is marking World Space Week with the online premiere of its upcoming series "Space Renaissance."

• NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is hosting 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 are putting the Rocket Revolution into action by launching model rockets. In the U.S., enthusiasts are launching Vulcan model rockets provided by United Launch Alliance and Estes.

• Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Education and SUPARCO, Pakistan's national space agency, is leading 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 [this] 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.