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Planetary Radio • Sep 02, 2026

World Space Week and farewell to Swift

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On This Episode

Dennis stone portrait

Dennis Stone

President and Co-Founder, World Space Week Association

Asa stahl portrait

Asa Stahl

Science Editor for The Planetary Society

Bruce betts portrait hq library

Bruce Betts

Chief Scientist / LightSail Program Manager for The Planetary Society

Sarah al ahmed headshot

Sarah Al-Ahmed

Planetary Radio Host and Producer for The Planetary Society

Dennis Stone, president and co-founder of the World Space Week Association, takes us behind the scenes of the largest annual space event on Earth. From its origins as a volunteer effort in Houston to a UN-declared celebration reaching 50,000 events in over 100 countries, Dennis shares how World Space Week inspires the next generation, and how you can get involved this Oct. 4 through 10. Then, Science Editor Asa Stahl breaks down the end of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, the 21-year-old space telescope that's falling out of orbit after a bold rescue mission fell short. Plus, Chief Scientist Bruce Betts looks back at a milestone centennial in this week's What's Up, 100 years since Robert Goddard launched the world's first liquid-fueled rocket.

World Space Week 2026
World Space Week 2026 This save-the-date graphic from the World Space Week Association promotes World Space Week 2026, a UN-declared celebration of space science and technology held annually from Oct. 4 through 10. This year's theme is Rocket Revolution, celebrating the transformation of space launch from a handful of government programs into a diverse and rapidly growing ecosystem of commercial providers, reusable rockets, and new space actors around the world. World Space Week is the largest annual space event on Earth, with nearly 50,000 events held across more than 100 countries during its 2025 celebration. The event encourages schools, space agencies, museums, astronomy clubs, families, and individuals around the world to use the week as an opportunity to celebrate humanity's achievements in space and inspire the next generation about science, technology, engineering, and math.Image: World Space Week Association
Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory
Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory launched in November 2004 on a mission to detect, locate, and study gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the Universe. What was designed as a two-year mission lasted over 21 years, during which Swift made groundbreaking discoveries, including detecting the first electromagnetic counterpart to a gravitational wave event.Image: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

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