About World Space Week 2025
World Space Week celebrations are organised every year from October 4 to 10. Each year, the celebration upholds a theme decided by the UN General Assembly. VSSC, LPSC, IISU & IIST jointly organise WSW celebrations to spread the message about space science and technology and reach out to the student community in the State of Kerala aimed at creating awareness among the students and general public.
The theme of World Space Week 2025 is “Living in Space”. This theme explores humanity’s journey towards making space a habitat, emphasising the innovative technologies, challenges and collaborative efforts that make this vision a reality.
World Space Week 2025 is set to educate, inspire and enable networking of the global community, focusing on humanity’s strides in developing sustainable living solutions for space. This significant week of space celebration will highlight ground breaking advancements, from life support systems and space habitats to research on human adaptability and resource utilisation in extra-terrestrial environments.
What is 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. These dates commemorate two events:
- October 4, 1957: Launch of the first human-made Earth satellite, Sputnik 1, thus opening the way for space exploration
- October 10, 1967: The signing of 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
Where and how is World Space Week celebrated?
World Space Week consists of space education and outreach events held by space agencies, aerospace companies, schools, planetaria, museums, and astronomy clubs around the world in a common timeframe. These synchronized space events attract greater public and media attention.
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.
What are the goals of World Space Week?
- 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
United Nations
In 1999, the UN General Assembly proclaimed World Space Week by resolution 54/68. The main aim is to celebrate the contributions of space science and technology to the betterment of the human condition.
The celebration of World Space Week is under the guidance of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) and the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) based in Vienna, Austria.
Today, the UNOOSA is the UN office responsible for promoting international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space. It serves as the secretariat for the General Assembly's only committee dealing exclusively with international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space: COPUOS.
The UN has been involved in space activities ever since the very beginning of the Space Age. Ever since the first human-made satellite orbited the Earth in 1957, the UN has been committed to space being used for peaceful purposes. The UN family strives continuously to utilize the unique benefits of outer space for the betterment of all humankind. Recognizing the common interest of humankind in outer space and seeking to answer questions on how outer space can help benefit the people's of Earth, the General Assembly adopted its first resolution related to outer space, resolution 1348 (XIII) entitled "Question of the Peaceful Use of Outer Space".
Space science and technology and their applications are increasingly being used to support a wide range of UN activities. They contribute to the work of the UN, including the implementation of recommendations of major world conferences and those of the Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III). As a consequence, coordination, cooperation and synergy are essential for those activities to be effectively carried out by the UN system.