The iLAuNCH Trailblazer has taken space on the road, connecting more than 1,500 students, families and community members with hands-on STEM experiences across Queensland as part of the Cosmos in the Country QLD Tour.

Delivered in collaboration with CSIRO and Inspiring Australia, the tour travelled through some of Queensland’s regional and remote communities, with events in Winton, Boulia, Longreach and Charleville, alongside stops in Springfield and Toowoomba.

Covering approximately 3,500 kilometres across Queensland, CSIRO’s Mobile Mission Operations Centre (MOC) travelled along rural and outback roads, bringing space technology and hands-on STEM experiences directly to regional and remote communities.

Developed in collaboration with iLAuNCH, the mobile facility is designed to support space launches and remote operations, while also serving as an immersive platform for STEM education and outreach, giving communities the opportunity to experience technology rarely accessible outside major centres.

The significance of the tour’s reach is particularly evident in towns such as Boulia, a remote Queensland community with a population of approximately 314 people. Bringing a large-scale space operations facility to towns of this size highlights the importance of making STEM experiences accessible beyond major metropolitan centres.

The tour brought interactive space activities and conversations about careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) directly to communities, giving participants the opportunity to experience space technology beyond the classroom.

Visitors stepped inside the MOC, attempted to dock with the International Space Station (ISS) through an interactive simulation, launched air rockets as part of a Rocket Science 101 lesson, explored space in VR, and spoke directly with space and STEM experts about the technology behind Australia’s growing space sector and the pathways available to work within it.

For student Koko, the opportunity to experience space technology firsthand was a highlight of the tour.

“My favourite activity was getting to land the space shuttle in the simulation onto the ISS. I liked it because it was the same as the real system astronauts use,” Koko said. “I also learnt about all the different careers in space.”

The enthusiasm extended beyond students, with families and educators welcoming the opportunity to experience activities not often available in regional communities.

A teacher attending the Longreach event with his children said the experience had built on their family’s growing interest in space.

“My kids have been really interested in space lately. We’ve been looking at planets in the night sky and I thought this would be a great experience. The kids had a blast in the VR and on the MOC, and trying to dock,” he said.

“It’s incredible that everyone can have this opportunity, particularly the kids out here. They don’t always realise the opportunities they have available.”

iLAuNCH Senior Marketing, Communications and Event Coordinator Kavanna Trewavas, who attended the tour, said witnessing the enthusiasm of regional communities reinforced the importance of bringing STEM experiences beyond Australia’s major cities.

“To see the excitement and curiosity from students and families as they stepped inside the MOC, tried the simulations and discovered the different careers available in space was incredibly rewarding,” Ms Trewavas said.

“Travelling through some of Queensland’s most remote communities, including towns like Boulia with a population of just a few hundred people, really puts into perspective the importance of bringing these opportunities directly to regional Australia.

“Talent and curiosity exist everywhere, but access to opportunities doesn’t always follow. For young people growing up in these communities, an industry like space can feel a world away. By bringing the technology and the people working in the sector directly to them, we’re helping make those possibilities feel a little closer to home.

“Australia’s future STEM workforce will come from communities right across the country, and it’s important that young people everywhere have the opportunity to see themselves as part of it.”

From school students discovering space technology for the first time to families and community members exploring the MOC, more than 1,500 people participated in activities and events across the tour.

The program was delivered with the support of local and regional partners, including Country Universities Centre, Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History and Charleville Cosmos Centre, helping connect space and science experiences with communities across Queensland.

The tour demonstrated the value of collaboration between research organisations, universities and regional partners in making STEM engagement accessible beyond Australia’s major cities, while encouraging greater awareness of the career pathways available in Australia’s growing space sector.

Cosmos in the Country was delivered in collaboration with CSIRO and Inspiring Australia as part of National Science Week.

The iLAuNCH Trailblazer is led by the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) alongside The Australian National University and Adelaide University and is supported by the Australian Government Department of Education through the Trailblazer Universities Program.