Stellar Soirée
A Decade in Higher Orbits
Join us for an evening of celebration and cosmic conviviality to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Go For Launch!
Date
Saturday, June 27
2026
Time
7:00 PM to 11:00 PM
CDT
Venue
Henry Crown Space Center
Griffin Museum of Science & Industry
Attire
Elevated Cosmic
Cocktail Attire
A Cosmically Curated Evening
Every element of the Stellar Soirée has been crafted to match the occasion and the company.
Dinner Stations
Curated culinary stations designed for mingling as much as savoring. No assigned seats, no schedule to keep.
Cocktails & Dessert
Raise a glass to a decade of achievement. Handcrafted cocktails and a curated dessert selection throughout the evening.
Silent Auction
Space memorabilia, collector pieces, and one-of-a-kind experiences. Every bid directly supports the next generation of students.
Experience the Dome
An immersive film experience will take place beneath MSI's iconic dome theater, nothing short of breathtaking.
Astronauts in Attendance
This evening wouldn't be what it is without the astronauts who have inspired a generation of Go For Launch! students. Amongst the Higher Orbits stellar students, cosmic colleagues, space family, and industry professionals in attendance, we are proud to welcome these remarkable astronauts to the Stellar Soirée:
Wendy Lawrence
Astronaut
Don Thomas
Astronaut
Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger
Astronaut
An Event Written in the Stars
Ten years ago, a bold idea took flight.
What began as a single challenge for students to design, build, and send a real experiment to the International Space Station has grown into something far greater than anyone imagined. Go For Launch! is now a decade-long legacy woven from the ambitions of more than 3,000 students, hundreds of schools, and over two dozen missions beyond the atmosphere.
The Stellar Soirée is our celebration of that journey. It's our night to savor the distance traveled and everyone who made every launch possible.
The Henry Crown Space Center at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago is a place where history and possibility coexist. Home to the Apollo 8 Command Module, the Mercury Aurora 7 capsule, and a legacy of artifacts tracing humanity's reach beyond Earth, it is one of the most extraordinary venues in the country.
Standing at the center of it all is the SpaceX Dragon capsule that carried the very first Go For Launch! student experiment into orbit.
This capsule represents everything the program has ever stood for: real science designed by real students, launched into space, and returned to Earth. Celebrating a decade of Go For Launch! under the same roof as the vessel that first carried student dreams beyond the atmosphere is not simply a fitting choice. It is the only choice.
Additional Event Details
Dress Code
Elevated Cosmic Cocktail Attire
This is a semi-formal evening with a cosmic spirit. Reach for polished and sophisticated, with a nod to the galaxy. Deep jewel tones, celestial metallics, and galactic accents are all welcome. Cocktail-length and floor-length gowns are both perfectly suited to the occasion, as are suits and tuxedos. Consider this your invitation to arrive as a reflection of the extraordinary evening that awaits.
Event location
Henry Crown Space Center at Griffin Museum of Science & Industry
Address:
5700 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60637