Planetarium

Our portable planetarium is an adaptable outstanding educational tool that enhances various disciplines and creates memorable learning experiences. Your journey into the universe awaits with Spaceward Bound New Zealand.

We bring the Universe to Your Classroom

Welcome to Spaceward Bound New Zealand’s one-of-a-kind portable planetarium experience. We pride ourselves on our ability to bring this extraordinary learning tool directly to your school’s doorstep. Setting us apart is our advanced software, developed through an exceptional partnership between NASA and global universities. This revolutionary platform integrates real-time, up-to-the-minute data and images collected across the solar system and beyond.

Immerse your students in the awe-inspiring sights of Mars, inspect the Hubble and James Webb Telescopes up close, or gaze upon the International Space Station and the myriad satellites that dot our skies. What’s extraordinary about our platform is its agility in staying current, constantly synchronizing with servers to download the latest space exploration updates before each school visit. This ensures a unique, dynamic, and continually evolving educational experience.

While other mobile planetariums struggle with unwieldy commercial software that is often outdated, we’re able to offer a seamless, constantly updated experience, ensuring your students engage with the most current and fascinating findings in space exploration.

Your students get first-hand experience from real space scientists

Yet what truly sets our experience apart is not just our cutting-edge software but the people behind it. As founders of Spaceward Bound NZ, Sam and I, Hari, bring authentic, firsthand space science knowledge to your classroom. Sam, with his experience as a pilot, his 24-year tenure in the NZ Airforce, and his ongoing Masters in Astrophysics, provides a rich and varied perspective. As for myself, with an internship at NASA, participation in the recent ESA astronaut selection, and my role as an astrobiologist, I’ve been instrumental in shaping New Zealand’s astrobiology landscape.

We don’t merely rely on textbooks; we’ve experienced, contributed to, and lived the space sciences. By booking with us, you provide your students with an unmatched planetarium experience guided by real-life scientists passionate about sparking curiosity and fostering a love for the universe’s mysteries.

Capacity

A maximum 25 students / one class

Duration

We recommend at least one hour and a half for a group

Other Considerations

This is an indoors activity. We need a 7×7 m floor space and 3.5 m tall to fit the planetarium.

What we need from you

An electrical power point.

our setup and educators

Experience the Universe with our State-of-the-Art Portable Planetarium: Already a mainstay in over 100 schools and having enriched the minds of approximately 20,000 space enthusiasts since its inception in April 2023, our advanced planetarium is far more than a simple educational tool. It’s a window into the cosmos, all within the comfort of your own school.

Our planetarium accommodates 25 eager learners and their teachers with ease, providing a multi-sensory experience within the confines of an immersive dome. Each session unveils a kaleidoscope of audio-visual wonders, transforming any lesson into a captivating journey across myriad environments.

While traditional planetariums primarily focus on mapping out the night sky and illustrating star movements, we propel the concept to another dimension. The breadth of our capabilities is vast, spanning from navigating the glittering cosmos to offering a unique bird’s-eye view of Earth from space. With us, the entire Universe becomes a thrilling, accessible classroom for discovery.

Hari Mogosanu

Hari is a TEDx-featured astrobiologist and space sciences educator who interned at NASA Ames and trained for Mars as an analog astronaut ( the photo above is Hari at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah)