The preliminary round of exciting activities continued at the Institute of Space and Technology virtually to mark World Space Week, will conclude on October 10 (Tuesday) after providing an opportunity for young students and the general public to learn about the benefits of space technology and its applications.
The World Space Week activities are being arranged by the Space Education Research Lab, National Center of GIS and Space Applications, IST, highlighting this year’s theme “Space and Entrepreneurship”.
According to an official of IST, World Space Week is the annual week of celebrating achievements and contributions of Space Science, technology, and its applications.
The United Nations General Assembly has declared October 4–10 as World Space Week to educate young students and the general public about the bounties of space technology and its applications.
The UN General Assembly selected October 4 to commemorate the launch of the first human-made Earth satellite, Sputnik 1, on October 4, 1957, and the signing of the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space on October 10, 1967.
World Space Week Association (www.worldspaceweek.org), a non-government, non-profit international organization, coordinates this celebratory week worldwide through National Coordinators appointed in each country. In Pakistan, the event is coordinated by the country’s national coordinator, the Secretary of the National Space Agency of Pakistan, SUPARCO, through the Space Education and Awareness Drive (SEAD).
The week is celebrated around the globe in more than 96 countries with 8000+ participants worldwide, organized by different space agencies, aerospace companies, schools, planetaria, museums, and astronomy clubs, all synchronized for effectual public awareness.
Every year, the World Space Week Association (WSWA) declares a theme to highlight a specific aspect of space. National coordinators then plan and organize events around this theme.
The official highlighted that World Space Week’s theme, “Space and Entrepreneurship,” recognizes the growing significance of the commercial space industry in space, the increasing opportunities for space entrepreneurship, and the new benefits of space developed by space entrepreneurs.
With miniaturization and decreasing launch costs, it is now possible for a small business to build and launch a small satellite and for entrepreneurs to create valuable new data products for governments and industry.
Following the theme of space and entrepreneurship, NCGSA aims to promote career options and raise space awareness among school and college students through space-related activities and competitions.
With 75 modules for students in grades 6 to 12, participants took part in a diverse range of fun learning activities. The overall ten categories cover
