World Space Week ready for lift off at QVMAG

World Space Week 2025 is upon us, and the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery is ready for lift off.   

Taking place annually across the globe, this week-long celebration between 4-10 October is designed to encourage community education in space science and technology’s impact on humanity.   

During the week, a special Holiday Program for families will be on offer within the Launceston Planetarium at the Museum at Inveresk titled Living in Space.   

This exciting, special presentation in the Launceston Planetarium will explore what it takes to send a person to space, and what systems are needed to support human life. 

After the session, families will head on through to the Museum’s Learning Centre for some hands-on craft making fun to create their own rocket station. 

City of Launceston Mayor Matthew Garwood said a week of galaxy-sized fun is waiting for visitors at the Museum at Inveresk.  

“I have such great memories of visiting the Launceston Planetarium as a kid,” Mayor Garwood said.  

“It’s awesome to see space-loving kids from right across northern Tasmania continue to engage with the QVMAG Planetarium and learn about space travel, research and science. 

“It’s through local and international celebrations like this that we can hopefully inspire the next generation of astronomers, astronauts and scientists from right here in Launnie.” 

QVMAG Astronomer Chris Arkless said World Space Week is a great way to connect with visitors of all ages on the importance of space research and remind them that we live on a planet orbiting a star in space.  

“Space is not ‘out there’, it is all around us, and it is important that we know our place in it,” Arkless said. 

“The Launceston Planetarium is all about space education, from the Earth as a planet right up to the large-scale structure of the Universe. We love engaging with our community – and World Space Week does just that.  

“It’s just great when visitors of all ages ask questions after shows and want to learn more about the universe around us – there's usually a lineup of hands in the air waiting to ask questions as each show ends.” 

Visitors to the Launceston Planetarium will be able to explore a host of shows during the week – spanning popular favourites such as: 

Birth of Planet Earth 

Our planet formed four and a half billion years ago, and scientists now think that our galaxy is filled with planetary systems, including planets roughly the size of our own. An important question is how the Moon formed. The show examines the questions of how Earth become a living planet in the wake of our Solar System’s violent birth, and what its history tells us about our chances of finding other worlds that are truly Earth-like. 

We Are Aliens 

Earth is now a small world. The human race is connected better and faster than ever before, but what about elsewhere? Could we one day be part of a galactic community sharing our knowledge and ideas, or is Earth the only planet with life? This show will take you on an epic ride in the hunt for the evidence of alien life.   

Capturing the Cosmos 

Astronomers today are exploring the Universe on a grand scale. But knowing what's out there is just the first step. Putting the pieces together to unlock the mysteries of the Universe is the ultimate goal. Narrated by Academy Award winning actor Geoffrey Rush, this show will present the new astronomy being carried out under the breathtaking skies of the Australian outback. 

And, many more.  

To celebrate World Space Week 2025 with the Launceston Planetarium, see what's showing at www.qvmag.tas.gov.au/Planetarium

 

Issued Friday 3 October 2025.