Sydney’s about to go full rocket mode. Powerhouse’s Sydney Science Festival returns city-wide with IAC 2025 Space Week riding shotgun—meaning real astronauts, zero-G intel, sci-fi launches and workshops that turn curiosity into combustion. From Parramatta squares to UTS halls, you’ll send a message to deep space, grill space architects on Moon living, and watch kids design mission patches like it’s Tuesday. Big vision, sharp minds, proper fun.
Video
Video Credit: Powerhouse Museum, Sydney Science Festival 2025 promo - A short teaser announcing Sydney Science Festival 2025 with astronauts, space architects and hands-on science events across Sydney.
Location
Primary hub: Powerhouse Ultimo, 500 Harris St, Ultimo NSW 2007
Key venues: ICC Sydney (Darling Harbour), Parramatta Square & Town Hall, PHIVE (Parramatta), UTS Great Hall (Ultimo), York Theatre – Seymour Centre (Chippendale)
Website: powerhouse.com.au
Dates
Next Event: 27 September – 4 October 2025
Frequency: Annual (special Space Week edition)
Duration: 8 days
Tip: Event times vary by venue—check individual listings before you go.
Price
Free & ticketed. Drop-ins are $0; headline talks typically from $10 (e.g., Space Now, Astronaut Forum).
Availability: Mix of walk-ins and bookings essential (noted per event).
The BioHax Take
This is the rare week where Sydney feels like Mission Control: astronauts shaking hands in Centenary Square, space architects gaming out Moon homes, kids crafting patches beside a real spacesuit, and a public deep-space broadcast project that invites your voice into the cosmos. It’s punchy, public-minded science—slick enough for grown-ups, tactile enough for kids, and priced so you can sample widely. Come for the star power; stay for the brain buzz.
Festival Theme: TRACE
The big idea probes the marks we leave—on climate, culture, and the cosmos—linking to Powerhouse exhibitions Atmospheric Memory, A Line A Web A World, and 100 Climate Conversations. Translation: wonder plus responsibility.
Who It’s For
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Parents hunting free, clever school-holiday ammo
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Space nerds and STEM-curious adults who like their facts with theatre
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Teen creators into world-building, gaming and design
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Future astronauts (and the aunties who buy the merch)
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Teachers, community leaders and science club captains
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Anyone who wants Moon gossip from people actually going there
What’s On Offer
Space Now — Panel
When/Where: Sat 27 Sept • UTS Great Hall • $10 • Book
What: Leaders at the edge of space exploration on missions, tech and what’s at stake for humanity. Moderated by Rae Johnston.
Featuring:
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Katherine Bennell-Pegg — Australian astronaut; ESA-trained; building local human-spaceflight pathways.
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Hannah Ashford — Co-founder/MD, The Karman Project; drives international cooperation in space.
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Sami Raines — Senior engineer at ELO2 (Australia’s first lunar rover consortium); leads lunar imaging; currently astronaut-in-training.
Astronaut Forum — Panel
When/Where: Thu 2 Oct, 6–7.30pm • York Theatre, Seymour Centre • $10 • Bookings essential
What: Life in zero-G, science on station, what re-entry feels like, and where Australia fits. Auslan interpreted.
Featuring:
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Katherine Bennell-Pegg — Australian Space Agency.
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Koichi Wakata — Axiom Space CTO (Asia-Pacific); first Japanese ISS Commander; 504 days in space (Shuttle, Soyuz, Crew Dragon, ISS).
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Shubhanshu Shukla — ISRO astronaut; IAF group captain/test pilot; Axiom Mission 4 to the ISS; part of India’s Gaganyaan crew.
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Moderator: Rae Johnston — award-winning STEM journalist.
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Agency profile: Australian Space Agency — advances AU in global space economy; builds STEM pipeline.
Moon Futures — Panel
When/Where: Fri 3 Oct, 12–1.30pm • Pyrmont Theatre, ICC Sydney (Level 2) • Free • General walk-in • IAC 2025 Space Day • Auslan interpreted
What: The Moon as our next address—habitats, ethics, law, and who gets access.
Featuring:
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Dr V. Narayanan — ISRO Chair; steering Gaganyaan, Chandrayaan-4 and India’s first space station.
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Aarti Holla-Maini — Director, UNOOSA; drives peaceful, sustainable use of space.
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Dr Dava Newman — Director, MIT Media Lab; ex-NASA Deputy Administrator; world leader in spacesuit design.
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Xavier De Kestelier — Global Head of Design, Hassell; NASA/ESA habitat collaborator.
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Ben Sorensen — Director, ELO2 Roo-ver Mission; 2021 Eureka Prize.
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Karlie Noon — Gamilaraay astrophysicist; co-author First Knowledges – Sky Country.
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Moderator: Rae Johnston.
HUMANS Deep Space Message — Activity
Record your message in person:
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Fri 3 Oct, 9am–5pm — ICC Sydney, Level 2 Foyer, Darling Harbour
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Sat 4 Oct, 10am–3pm — Parramatta Town Hall, 182 Church St
Record online: 27 Sept 2025 – 30 Jan 2026.
Price: Free • Notify me / Walk-in (venue-dependent).
What: For the 50-year mark since Voyager’s Golden Record, HUMANS is gathering a more diverse Earth message, to be deep-space broadcast 5 Sept 2027.
Featuring: -
Dr Maya Nasr — Project lead/co-founder, HUMANS; Mars 2020, Cassini Titan, OneWeb; engineer across ops, strategy and space policy.
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HUMANS — Global project creating symbolic connection to space; messages previously reached ISS and the Moon with MIT’s Space Exploration Initiative.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of NASA - Engineers stand inside the massive vacuum chamber at NASA’s Electric Propulsion Laboratory, built to test spacecraft in space-like conditions.
Sydney Science Festival at Parramatta — Program Day
When/Where: Sat 4 Oct • Parramatta Square • Free • Presented by Powerhouse Parramatta + City of Parramatta
What: A full day of hands-on science for all ages across Parramatta Square, PHIVE and Town Hall.
Meet a Scientist — Activity
When/Where: Sat 4 Oct, 10am–3pm • Parramatta Square • Free • General walk-in
Notes: Children under 12 must be with an adult.
What: 15-minute sessions with scientists from WSU, UTS, KNAPP, Space Machines Company, and the National Indigenous Space Agency—live demos, Q&A, career inspo.
Make a Kite — Workshop
When/Where: Sat 4 Oct, 10am–3pm • Parramatta Square • Free • General walk-in
Notes: Children under 12 with an adult.
What: Hands-on kite building—STEM basics that actually fly.
Science of Space — Talk Series
When/Where: Sat 4 Oct, 11.30am–2.30pm • Centenary Square • Free • General walk-in • Auslan interpreted
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Sessions:
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11.30am — The Future of Space Food with Dr Flávia Fayet-Moore
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12.15pm — How AI & Automation Are Changing the World with Michael Kemeny
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1.00pm — Blending Science & Culture in Space with Dr Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian
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1.45pm — Making Space Accessible for Everyone with Dr Chris Boshuizen
Featuring (bios). -
Dr Flávia Fayet-Moore — Space nutritionist; Mission MushVroom sent mushrooms on SpaceX; CEO FOODiQ Global.
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Michael Kemeny — MD, KNAPP Australia; AI, automation, robotics for industry.
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Dr Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian — Designer/artist; founder International Space Orchestra and University of the Underground; brings science with spectacle.
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Dr Chris Boshuizen — Australian commercial astronaut; co-founded Planet Labs; ex-NASA Ames.
Spacesuit Patch Making — Workshop
When/Where: Sat 4 Oct, 10am–3pm • PHIVE, Ground Floor (5 Parramatta Sq) • Free • General walk-in
Notes: Children under 12 with an adult.
What: Meet Australian spacesuit engineers from Metakosmos, photograph a real suit, design your own mission patch. All ages.
Featuring: Metakosmos — UTS Tech Lab-based spacesuit company building next-gen human-spaceflight tech.
Sci-Fi Character Workshop — Activity
When/Where: Sat 4 Oct, 10am–3pm • PHIVE, Ground Floor • Free • General walk-in
Notes: Children under 12 with an adult.
What: Create and draw your own character from the world of Tales of Khayaal; customise look, clothes, backstory. Ages 5–12.
Featuring: Peter Gould (designer/author; UNHCR Ambassador) & Rehan Khan (author; A Tudor Turk trilogy).
About the Series: Tales of Khayaal — Sci-fi fantasy on planet Ikleel during its third epoch; a comet signals the “Final Standing”—asks what it means to be human amid relentless tech change.
Lunar Horizons in Fortnite — Activity
When/Where: Sat 4 Oct, 10am–3pm • Parramatta Town Hall, 182 Church St • Free • General walk-in • Ages 15+ recommended
What: Explore a custom Fortnite mission created by Epic Games, European Space Agency and Hassell—gather resources, build a lunar habitat, chat with astronauts, traverse a realistic Moon landscape.
Featuring:
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Xavier De Kestelier — Global Head of Design, Hassell; NASA/ESA habitat collaborator; Director, Smartgeometry.
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Hassell — International design firm pioneering space habitats and infrastructure.
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European Space Agency (ESA) — Europe’s intergovernmental space org shaping exploration.
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Epic Games — Creator of Fortnite and Unreal Engine.
Meet an Astronaut — Talk / Meet-and-Greet
When/Where: Sat 4 Oct • Centenary Square • Free • General walk-in
Sessions: 10.30am (30 mins) • 2.30pm (30 mins)
Notes: Under 12s with an adult. Auslan interpreted.
What: Shake hands with astronauts from around the world. Dress up as your favourite for a chance to win a space pack.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Australian Space Agency - Australian astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg, the first locally trained astronaut, looks ahead during training for future missions.
Tales of Khayaal — Book Launch (Talk)
When/Where: Sat 4 Oct, 10.30–11.30am • PHIVE, Civic Gallery, Level 4 (5 Parramatta Sq) • Free • Bookings essential • Auslan interpreted • Booked Out
Rec. Age: 12+
What: Rehan Khan and Peter Gould launch their sci-fi fantasy trilogy; world-building, speculative science, character creation.
Building Sci-Fi Worlds — Workshop
When/Where: Sat 4 Oct, 1–2pm • PHIVE, Civic Gallery, Level 4 • Free • Bookings essential • Booked Out
Rec. Age: 12+
What: Guided exercises for novels, games and film—unique settings, future tech, diverse cultural perspectives.
Featuring: Peter Gould & Rehan Khan (see above).
Practical Notes
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Many sessions are Auslan interpreted; check individual listings.
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Kids under 12 must be with an adult at all times (as noted).
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Some sessions are walk-in; others require bookings or notify me.
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Deep-space recording also available online through 30 Jan 2026.
Sustainability Snapshot
Powerhouse programming leans into “Trace”—how human activity leaves marks on Earth and beyond—drawing lines to climate-minded exhibitions (Atmospheric Memory; A Line A Web A World; 100 Climate Conversations). Expect strong accessibility notes, Auslan-interpreted hero sessions, and public-space activations designed for wide participation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the headline venues?
ICC Sydney, Parramatta Square/Town Hall & PHIVE, UTS Great Hall, Seymour Centre, and Powerhouse Ultimo.
Is it kid-friendly?
Yes—many sessions are designed for families and teens, with free drop-ins like Meet a Scientist, patch-making and Fortnite’s Lunar Horizons.
How much are tickets?
A lot is free. Ticketed talks generally start from $10; check each listing for pricing and booking requirements.
Do I need to book?
Some events are walk-in; others require bookings. Each program tile on the Powerhouse site notes “Book,” “Notify me,” or “General Walk-in.”
Where can I record the deep-space message?
In person at ICC Sydney (IAC 2025 Space Day) and Parramatta Town Hall on set dates, or online during the festival window.
Will there be real astronauts?
Yes—meet-and-greets in Parramatta and panel appearances from astronauts linked to ASA, Axiom, ISRO, NASA/ESA missions.
What’s the best day for families?
Saturday 4 October in Parramatta stacks hands-on workshops, talks, meet-ups and drop-ins across PHIVE, Centenary Square and Town Hall.
Accessibility?
Multiple sessions are Auslan interpreted; venues include accessibility guidance on their event pages.
Can teens attend without adults?
Some activities recommend age ranges (e.g., 12+); children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
What’s the vibe—tech expo or festival?
Festival—public, playful, and idea-dense. Think city-wide programming with marquee brains and plenty to touch, build and try.
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Article originally published: 23 September 2025, by Editor
