Higher Orbits Galactic HQ – May 23, 2024 – Go For Launch!, a program that aims to reach high school students and inspire them through space exploration, is headed back to the place where human spaceflight began: Florida's Space Coast. Over the course of three days, students in grades 8-12 will participate in events designed to help them develop critical skills needed in their future careers.

Participating students have the opportunity to learn from Wendy Lawrence, a retired NASA astronaut and Navy captain who flew multiple space shuttle missions, and a number of other aerospace professionals, who will mentor the students throughout the event. Through space-based activities, the students will learn skills that will help set them up for success in any field.

"As someone who dreamed of becoming an astronaut after watching the Apollo 11 mission at age 10, I wish I would have had something like a 'Go for Launch!' event to attend," shares Lawrence. "It would have been just the type of activity to not only keep the dream alive, but also help me take steps toward turning it into a reality."

Go For Launch! is the hands-on flagship program of Higher Orbits, a non-profit that aims to encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The program is designed for students of all backgrounds—from the STEM novice to the more experienced—with the hopes of helping ALL students gain the skills and confidence necessary to enter the workforce as the STEMists and Explorers of the future.

While focusing on spaceflight, Go For Launch! students work with industry professionals and a featured astronaut on teamwork, communication, research design, and leadership skills.

"Space Inspires! And with Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center (KSCVC) being one of the most inspirational places for space on the planet, I feel incredibly fortunate that we are able to hold Go For Launch! in this venue again," said Michelle Lucas, founder and chief executive of Higher Orbits. "Perhaps one day, one of the students participating in this event will be inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame, held here at KSCVC—or will have designed a rocket that is in rocket garden."

Go For Launch! participants not only have access to incredible mentors, they also have the opportunity to compete to design an experiment that could fly to the International Space Station.

One lucky team will be selected as the winners of the Go For Launch! Space Coast event. Their team will then further compete against winning teams selected from other Higher Orbits 2024 series events, which includes events in Huntsville, AL and Mars, PA, among others. Space Tango, a Higher Orbits partner, will then build the overall winner's experiment, which will launch on a future cargo mission to the International Space Station.

Go For Launch! Space Coast will be held at Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex on June 3-5, 2024. The event is open to all students in grades 8-12 (including rising 8th graders and recently graduated seniors) and is not restricted to only those residing in Florida. Interested students can register online at www.GoForLaunch.space. Financial aid is available to students who need assistance to attend this event.

Go For Launch! Space Coast is generously supported by the following sponsors: Pluto Pioneers SpaceX; Mars Pathfinders Jacobs/COMET; Lunar Rovers Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, Integrated Launch Solutions, and The Space Bar; Earth Orbit Club Zarrella’s, Staples Titusville, and Moon Water; and Intergalactic Voyagers A-B Emblem, Uniphi Space Agency, Space Tango, and Space Shirts. All Go For Launch! events are supported by the IDEA Space Coalition which is generously supported by Burns & McDonnell and Iridium.

Higher Orbits is truly honored to work with many communities, companies, and individuals. It's through these partnerships that the organization is able to inspire the next generation of STEMists and explorers—the future workforce of our country.

Founded in 2015, Higher Orbits is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization creating an experiential learning lab for secondary school students across the United States, focused on the multi-faceted worlds of space exploration, research, and spaceflight in order to launch the next generation workforce our world desires. www.higherorbits.org