Image: NASA/Brandon Hancock
Every October the world spends a week celebrating space. This year the theme is the rocket itself, and the reusable launchers that are opening up the road to the Moon.
From 4 to 10 October, schools, planetariums, space agencies and enthusiasts around the world mark World Space Week, the largest annual space event on the planet. The United Nations General Assembly declared it on 6 December 1999, defining it as an international celebration of space science and technology and their contribution to the betterment of the human condition.
Two dates that bookend the week
The dates were chosen to honour two milestones. On 4 October 1957 the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first human-made satellite to orbit the Earth. On 10 October 1967 the Outer Space Treaty came into force. That treaty matters to anyone who loves the Moon: it established that no nation can claim the Moon or any other celestial body as its own, which is why a Moon Estates plot is a symbolic gift rather than a legal title.
This year's theme: Rocket Revolution
Each year the World Space Week Association sets a theme. For 2026 it is "Rocket Revolution", a look at how quickly access to space is changing. Commercial launch providers, reusable rockets and a growing number of start-ups and national space programmes are bringing costs down, while advances in propulsion, manufacturing and launch infrastructure are widening who gets to take part.
For the Moon, that matters. Cheaper, more frequent launches are a big part of why lunar exploration has moved from a once-in-a-generation event to a busy calendar of missions, with Artemis II among the themes in this year's classroom resources.
Past themes and the Moon
The Moon has had its own year in the spotlight. In 2019 the theme was "The Moon: Gateway to the Stars", marking 50 years since Apollo 11, and that year's World Space Week saw more than 8,000 events in 96 countries. Recent themes have ranged from "Women in Space" (2021) to "Space and Climate Change" (2024) and "Living in Space" (2025).
Getting involved in the UK
In the UK the British Interplanetary Society acts as the national coordinator. Events this year have included rocket-building workshops for young people in Portsmouth and a high street takeover in Guildford. Anyone can run their own activity, from a school rocket launch to an evening of Moon-watching, and register it on the official World Space Week website.
The week ends on 10 October, but the Moon will still be there tonight. Step outside, look up, and take a moment to enjoy it.
