Each year, the World Space Week Association (WSWA) selects a theme for the upcoming World Space Week (WSW) to provide a focus of the activities and events that take a place throughout the world, during 4-10 October. The World Space Week 2022 theme is “Space and Sustainability.”

During October 4-10, 2022 WSW will celebrate two branches of the topic to be covered-achieving sustainability in space, and achieving sustainability from space.

The theme is inspired by how sustainability in space relates to how humanity uses space, most pressingly, the orbital area surrounding Earth-itself a finite resource.

There is a much greater story to tell in terms of how space exploration and remote Earth observation can help drive change for our own home planet. This includes measuring climate change, identifying pollution on land and at sea, supporting agriculture in developing nations-an endless list. Of the 169 targets that form the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, 65 directly benefit through Earth observation satellites and related technologies. Achieving the SDGs would be so much harder without the tools and techniques available to scientists through space exploration.

The growth of World Space Week reflects widespread acceptance of this synchronized time frame to celebrate space, inspire students using space, and promote space programs, policies, and organizations.  WSW is celebrated by a network of over 1,000 space-related organizations, the largest such network in the world, according to WSWA.

The Association’s Board each year selects a theme for World Space Week to provide a focus of the activities and events that take a place in over 80 nations during 4-10 October.  WSW event organizers are encouraged to incorporate the theme into their activities and promotional materials.

Anyone, from anywhere in the world, can create a World Space Week event. The theme is a guideline for creating events, however, WSWA accepts the registration of any space-related events which start or end from 4 to 10 October as an official World Space Week event.

WSW event organizers are encouraged to incorporate the theme and poster into their activities and promotional materials. To see the history of World Space Week themes, please click here.

How do you celebrate World Space Week? It is much simpler than you may think! Just have a look at these simple steps on How to Organize a World Space Week Event.