More than 90 countries celebrated World Space Week this year. It is the largest space event in the world, held annually from October 4 to 10.
The week was officially established and proclaimed by the UN General Assembly on December 6, 1999, to celebrate the contribution of space science and technology to improving the well-being of humanity. The dates were chosen deliberately, as they mark two significant events in the history of cosmonautics: October 4, 1957, when the first artificial Earth satellite, Sputnik-1, was launched, which is considered the beginning of the space age, and October 10, 1967, when the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (Outer Space Treaty) came into force.
The main goal of World Space Week is to raise awareness about space technology, promote science (especially STEM education), and inspire a new generation of researchers to pursue scientific research.
The theme of World Space Week 2025 (WSW2025) is “Living in Space.” It is dedicated to exploring humanity's path to creating a permanent environment for life beyond Earth, including space stations, colonies on the Moon and Mars, and the technologies necessary to achieve this. The theme focuses on the technologies, innovations, and human adaptations necessary for living in extraterrestrial environments.
WSW2025 invited people to imagine what life among the stars would be like and emphasized the importance of international cooperation for scientific progress and the realization of these ambitious projects. Therefore, conferences, panel discussions, and lectures were held on the theme of “Life in Space,” dedicated to life support technologies in space, space medicine and psychology, as well as plans for the exploration of the Moon and Mars.
The Boris Paton State Polytechnic Museum of KPI presented a series of educational events dedicated to the history of cosmonautics as part of Space Week. And, of course, the contribution of cosmonauts of Ukrainian origin to long-term manned flights to orbital space stations – Salyut, Mir, and the ISS.
In the photo: in the museum. Overview of the exposition at the Boris Paton DPM.The celebration of WSWS2025 at the DPM began on October 5 with a series of publications prepared for the Internet by museum specialists, in which they recalled the first cosmonaut from Ukraine, Pavlo Romanovich Popovich, on the occasion of his 95th birthday.
On October 8, 2025, the DPM hosted a moving and informative lecture dedicated to the Ukrainian-born cosmonaut, commander of the Soyuz-11 spacecraft, and pioneer of long-duration manned space flights, Georgy Timofeyevich Dobrovolsky. Scientists from the Aviation and Cosmonautics Department of the DPM organized an exhibition of newspaper publications of that time about his space flight. Guests also had a unique opportunity to see an informative video presentation and video chronicle of our compatriot's historic flight into space, which allowed them to feel the scale of his achievements and immerse themselves in the historical events of that time.
On October 10, the Cosmonautics Hall of the DPM hosted an excursion entitled “Sergei Korolev: Biography and Creative Work,” conducted by Sergei Grachev, a veteran of the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
On October 11, during “Family Saturday” at the museum, a themed tour “Life in Space” was held, and master classes were organized for young visitors: “Make your own paper spacecraft” and “Paint the cosmos.”
Overall, this year's Space Week was celebrated most extensively in Dnipro (more than 10 events). For example, from October 7 to 15, 2025, the Noosphere Public Association held a virtual rocket modeling competition and “Space Games in the Noosphere.” Participants “built” a spaceship as part of the Kerbal space program and carried out a “rescue” in space on a simulator, competing for cash prizes. There was also a robotics competition for children, where participants learned to assemble robots based on VEX construction sets and program them to perform a space mission, and then organized a competition between them. On October 9, this organization, together with the association “Universe: Space Technologies,” held an interactive online event called “Space Express: Journey Through the Solar System” — it was not just a lecture or a story about space, but a real adventure, the script of which was shaped by the audience. The Noosphere Planetarium in Dnipro organized an educational and entertaining event for space and film enthusiasts. Together with experts in physics, astronomy, and space technology, participants watched films about collisions in the universe, evaluated the realism of the images on the screen, and separated scientific reality from cinematic myth.
And what about other countries around the world? Throughout WSW2025, open lectures and meetings with astronomers, cosmonauts, engineers, space technology designers, exhibitions of artifacts and photographs were organized. In addition, astronomical observations were conducted for the curious at observatories and planetariums, as well as themed lessons, quizzes, and excursions to space industry enterprises for students and schoolchildren. There were also events aimed at attracting women to space professions, as well as STEM courses for young people, including educational programs based on an integrated approach to research and development.
On October 4–5, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) held its largest space hackathon, the International Space Apps Challenge 2025, in which teams from around the world, including Ukraine (the cities of Kyiv and Dnipro), performed real tasks from NASA. Participants used open, free space data and technologies provided by NASA and its space partners to develop innovative projects to solve real problems on Earth and in space. The teams had only 48 hours to solve the problem.
Incidentally, this year, a team of students from the KPI Polytechnic Lyceum (pictured), trained by computer science and information technology teacher Ivan Komarov, made it to the hackathon finals! It should be noted that this hackathon brings together young innovators from over 160 countries, so it is especially honorable. The students of the Kyiv Polytechnic Lyceum are not only among the winners of the national selection, but also advanced to the world finals, which are scheduled to be held in December 2025.
In New Delhi, India, celebrations were held to mark the 68th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik-1, created under the leadership of the outstanding Ukrainian scientist, engineer, and founder of manned spaceflight, Sergiy Korolov.
On October 8, in central London, selected works by participants from around the world on the theme of TK2025 “Life in Space” were displayed on the huge curved digital screen “Piccadilly Lights.”
At a public event dedicated to Space Week, attendees had the opportunity to meet NASA astronaut Christina Koch (class of 2013). She is the record holder among women for the longest continuous stay in space – 328 days on the International Space Station (ISS). During her space flight (which began on March 14, 2019), she made six spacewalks, one of which was the first all-female spacewalk in history, together with her colleague Jessica Meir. Her professional achievements are proof that the limits of human capabilities exist only to be crossed... So it is no coincidence that in 2023 Christina Koch was selected as one of the four crew members of the Artemis II mission, which is to fly around the Moon. The launch of this mission is scheduled for early 2026.
The international online event “Life on the Moon,” dedicated to the peaceful use of outer space, was held on October 8 with the participation of NASA, the United Nations Committee, and partners who are researching lunar habitats and collaborating beyond Earth.
The Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences and Technology in the United Arab Emirates celebrated WSW2025 with planetary shows, interactive stations, and seminars on astrobiology, artificial intelligence, and the lives of astronauts. The academy's program also included lectures on exoplanets, interstellar travel, and cosmic radiation.
The International Space Station celebrated WSW2025 by broadcasting unique images from orbit from October 3 to 6. Enthusiasts from around the world were able to tune in to 145.800 MHz to receive and decode images directly from the ISS.
The non-profit charity Cosmic Girls, registered in both the United States and the Netherlands, organized a discussion on gender equality in space to mark World Space Week.
In the photo: in the museumAnd Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA, even launched a new master's program in aerospace and space systems engineering during WSW2025, in collaboration with NASA, to train specialists for the space industry!
Arizona State University (USA) presented a 30-minute film, “Becoming Interplanetary,” to the general public during WSW2025. The film helps us understand how curiosity, creativity, and the simple question “why?” moved us from caves to spaceships and are now directing us to other worlds.
The American company Crayola LLC, which specializes in the production of creative and art supplies, distributed “thinking sheets” and videos about space. These leaflets encouraged people to learn more about space and the tools used to explore it, as well as to fantasize and draw fantastic space landscapes and devices.
Thus, World Space Week 2025 was filled with events that not only honored the history of space exploration, but also actively engaged young people in discussing and modeling future life beyond our planet.
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