World Space Week 2021

Theme: Women in Space

A total of 6,418 WSW events were reported in the calendar this year.

World Space Week Annual Report 2021

World Space Week Highlights 2021

World Space Week is an UN-declared celebration of space held annually, every October 4 to 10. It is the largest space event on Earth, with over 6,000 events reported in 2020 and held in 91 countries. These events are organized by thousands of organizations, including space agencies, aerospace companies, astronomy clubs and museums. In 2021, World Space Week was dedicated to the theme of “Women in Space”.

The Association recognized the need for female role models who would inspire the next generation of young girls and students to enter the space sector. The 2021 theme of Women in Space aligned preparations to send the first woman to the Moon.

Despite the global pandemic, there are safe and exciting ways to participate and celebrate World Space Week. The Highlights section showcases some of the creative, innovative and popular events bringing people together to celebrate space.

• Space.com provides a list of events being organized to celebrate World Space Week 2021.
• A Fortune.com article on women in the space sector mentions World Space Week 2021 and profiles Candace Johnson, a member of the advisory board.
• NASA special feature for World Space Week with astronaut Shane Kimbrough on the International Space Station and US Vice President Kamala Harris, head of the US Space Council.
• World Space Week 2021 Honorary Chair and VP at Lockheed Martin Corporation, Lisa Callahan, chats with the Executive Director of the World Space Week Association, Maruska Strah, in this short interview.
• SES has profiled 5 women employees doing extraordinary work in the space industry.
• Space Foundation in the United States will organize “Space Is Better Together”, a weeklong event on the incredible impact of women on the space sector.
• Philippine Space Agency will hold a “Build Your Own Model Satellite” lecture and competition during World Space Week.
• The SETI Institute, Unistellar, and The Planetary Society will organize virtual events, observation challenges, contests and more to help inspire a new generation of female space explorers.
• Oceaneering will have panellists who work in the space industry and can share what their day-to-day is like, how they got into STEM and their favourite work experiences.
• Women in Aerospace- Europe will be organizing several events during World Space Week 2021, on STEM education in Europe, Skills gap in the aerospace industry, Women in the C Suite, and more.
• The International Astronomical Union will celebrate 100 Hours of Astronomy around the world with a broad range of activities involving the public.
• Fisher-Prices’s new Little People Collector “Inspiring Women” figure set, which includes astronaut Sally Ride and aviator Amelia Earhart, will be launched during World Space Week.
• The U.S. Space & Rocket Center will have activities, programs and giveaways every day, starting off with “Blast off with Janet’s Planet” on October 4.
• Phoenix Space, a nonprofit which offers space-science-focused STEM education programs to refugee and disadvantaged students in the Middle East, will conclude their LaunchPad Challenge academic competition, during World Space Week.
• Galaxonata, the world premiere of a new composition by Yury Revich will be broadcasted during the Women in Space gala on Oct.6th in Beer-Sheva, Israel.
• Russian actress Yulia Peresild, producer Klim Shipenko and cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov launched to the space station on a mission to film the first feature-length movie in space.
• SSERD in India will organize a 2-week Outreach Program with webinars, workshops, and competitions for all age groups across the world.
• On October 01, the upgraded and newly installed Short-Arm Human Centrifuge in the Nordic Centre Planica in Slovenia was successfully launched. Planica thereby became one of the three ESA’s research centres conducting studies for long-term space missions with a crew.
• ESERO (European Space Education Resource Office) will organize several events during World Space Week, in Portugal, Ireland, Spain, UK, Norway.
• A new space room will be inaugurated at the Aeronautical Museum in Uruguay during World Space Week, with information panels, historical pieces and models.
• Kenya Space Agency will host an online forum bringing together students, youth and professionals interested in space-related subjects, applications, services and technologies.
• United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) will coordinate a social media campaign to celebrate World Space Week with the overarching theme ‘Women in Space’.
• A full week of events in Osimo, Italy to increase STEM awareness among students, with particular attention to gender equality and create a space ecosystem linking universities and businesses in the region
• BBC Teach has published teaching resources for World Space Week, suitable for both primary and secondary schools, from KS1 to GCSE in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and First Level to Higher in Scotland.
• In honour of World Space Week, the New Space journal is providing complimentary access to one of their top-read articles on the commercial spaceflight initiative to send the first female, German astronaut to space.
• Astronaut Barbie modelled after Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti takes a Zero-G walk to inspire future astronauts.
• Interview with Loredana Bessone, ESA CAVE Spaceflight lead, on young girls pursuing careers in space.
• Masten Space Systems is sharing details about the space tech powering their missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
• MIM (Mirador Interactive Museum ), a science museum in Chile, have announced free entry to all visitors until December 2021.
• A 4,800 square-foot natural Earthwork by renowned crop artist Stan Herd will be created to commemorate World Space Week.