World Space Week UK

The BIS is the official UK National Co-ordinating Body for World Space Week, the British Interplanetary Society supports and encourages everyone to create educational opportunities, activities, and events during World Space Week.

World Space Week is an international celebration of science and technology, and their contribution to the betterment of the human condition. The United Nations General Assembly declared in 1999 that World Space Week will be held each year from October 4-10.

World Space Week is coordinated by the United Nations with the support of the World Space Week Association (WSWA). The WSWA leads a global team of National Coordinators, who promote the celebration of World Space Week within their own countries.

World Space Week runs annually between 4-10 OCTOBER

WSW2023 Theme

World Space Week 2022 will celebrate the theme of Space and Entrepreneurship

For more information see the World Space Week Association Website

How to Celebrate WSW

Some simple steps to celebrating WSW each year:

Save the date: 4-10 October
Choose your audience: Anyone! WSW is an all-inclusive celebration of space, and it is an amazing opportunity to inform and inspire everyone, the more diverse your audience the better!
Plan an activity: Any educational activity related to space, such as; Space movie night, Space Art or Poetry, Stargazing with local astronomical society, Talks and Presentations, Space Themed Party.
Register your event: At www.worldspaceweek.org. Registering your event allows the BIS and World Space Week Association to assess the success and growth of WSW year-on-year.
Let us know how it went: Tell us about your event and attendance numbers, so we can add the UK’s success to our report to the UN.

How BIS Can Help

As the WSW National Coordination manager, the BIS is here to support all UK event organisers with:

Planning
Publicity
Registering and updating events
General support and advice

WSW Resources

The RESOURCES section of this website is home to all BIS educational resources and more.

Through the link given above, go to the World Space Week resources section for WSW THEME-specific resources and links.

Annual Competition

The British Interplanetary Society, the National Co-ordinating body for World Space Week, organises an annual space competition.

2023 UK Competition TO BE ANNOUNCED

2021 Creative Competition Winners
2022 Poetry Challenge Winners

World Space Week Goals

Provide unique leverage in space outreach and education
Educate people around the world about the benefits that they receive from space
Encourage greater use of space for sustainable economic development
Demonstrate public support for space programs
Excite young people about science, technology, engineering, and math
Foster international cooperation in space outreach and education

Significance of the WSW Dates

World Space Week runs between 4-10 October every year.

These dates commemorate two significant space-related events in history:

October 4, 1957
Launch of the first human-made Earth satellite, Sputnik 1, thus opening the way for space exploration

October 10, 1967
The date the ‘Treaty on Principles Governing the Activites of States in the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies’ (or ‘The Outer Space Treaty’) entered into force.

(NB: The Outer Space Treaty was opened for signature by the three depository Governments (the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States of America) in January 1967, and it entered into force on 10 October 1967.)

Where and how is World Space Week Celebrated?

ANYONE, ANYWHERE can organise a World Space Week event!

World Space Week consists of space education and outreach events held by space agencies, aerospace companies, schools, STEM clubs, science centres, planetaria, museums, and astronomy clubs around the world.

World Space Week events also include ANY SPACE-RELATED activities being held by local communities, groups, home-schooling, and even families, between 4-10 October.

Need Help Registering Your Event?

Please create an account and register your event on the Global Calendar at worldspaceweek.org/events/

However, if you have any problems, or simply want the WSWUK team to register your event for you, please CONTACT US.

SHARE YOUR RESULTS

Please share your results with us, by updating your registered event at: worldspaceweek.org/events/
You will need to log in to your event, using the login you created.

NEED HELP?
If you cannot log in, or have any problems, you can also report your results to the WSWUK team by CONTACTING US.

Find WSW Events in the UK

WSWA (Global Website)