Carterton Space Week is held each year to celebrate World Space Week, the largest international space event on Earth. Taking place annually from 4–10 October, World Space Week commemorates the launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, on 4 October 1957, and the signing of the United Nations Outer Space Treaty on 10 October 1967.

Each year, the World Space Week Association announces a global theme, inspiring countries around the world to explore a different aspect of space science, technology and exploration. Carterton Space Week embraces this international theme while showcasing local speakers, organisations, businesses and experiences, creating a uniquely Wairarapa celebration of humanity’s journey into space.