Kicking off World Space Week with BRIO's stratospheric shuttle launch

It’ll probably come as no surprise that World Space Week is an event that’s pretty close to our hearts here at Sent Into Space. This annual collaboration between the United Nations and World Space Week Association comprises thousands of space education and outreach events worldwide, held by everything from space agencies and aerospace companies to museums and astronomy clubs.

To kick off World Space Week 2026 in style, we teamed up with BRIO to conduct the first Space Shuttle launch since the legendary vehicle was decommissioned back in 2011. Yes, it’s a toy, but NASA was being too stingy to lend us a real one, okay?

If you’re anything like us, you probably had one of those classic wooden train sets somewhere in your childhood bedroom. By way of an introduction for those not so lucky: BRIO is one of the most ubiquitous toy brands in the world, and its vast catalogue just so happened to contain the perfect Space Shuttle toy for the activation in mind.

Making BRIO's Spacecraft

Once we’d finally persuaded our engineers to stop playing with the Space Shuttle in question, they got to work building a bespoke launch platform to mount it to. One flight computer, two space-capable cameras and a bucket load of carbon fibre later, the shuttle was ready to take flight, and just in time for the start of World Space Week. Impeccable timing as always from the ever-reliable tech team.

The Space Shuttle Flies Again

Launch day arrived and the conditions were absolutely perfect: nice and sunny, low wind levels, and a smattering of cloud to introduce some perspective into the high-altitude footage. After a textbook launch, the BRIO Space Shuttle ascended into the upper stratosphere and reached a whopping 36.1 km.

By the time BRIO's Space Shuttle reached peak altitude, our recovery team had already arrived at the predicted landing location, ready to collect the spacecraft and flight train. We think you’ll agree, the footage looks absolutely stunning, and it’s certainly one hell of a way to kick off this year’s World Space Week!

Get