That's no space station, it's a student-led drone show: Space photo of the day

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300 drones light up in the shape of a colorful space shuttle and space station over a lake at night

Why is this amazing?

The International Space Station and a space shuttle, as seen here, joined other historic spacecraft and scenes from space history as part of a student-led drone show for the opening of the Space Foundation's 40th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on April 7, 2025.

Who was behind this space-themed drone show?

A group of 10 high school students, working with their teacher and the St. Vrain Innovation Center in Longmont, Colorado, built, coded and coordinated this show using 300 drones, according to KRDO news radio.

In addition to recreating the ISS and shuttle, the students also programmed the drones to form an astronaut walking on the moon, the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter and the symposium's logo.

"To see high school students be able to take hundreds of drones and actually make it look professional, this was kind of like an Olympic opening ceremony," said Damian DiPippa, CEO of Auria Space, in an interview with KRDO.

robotic drones are lit up to recreate a rotocopter over a lake as spectators look on

Who saw this light show?

This drone show was staged over Broadmoor Lake as a crowd of more than 10,000 Space Symposium attendees from 60 countries looked on from the shore.

Now in its 40th year, the Space Foundation's Space Symposium brings together global space professionals from all sectors, providing a platform to explore critical space issues, foster dialogue and drive innovation across the space industry. This year's event runs through April 10, 2025 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.

Where can I learn more?

You can read and watch KRDO's coverage of the drone show. You can also read more about some of the announcements at the 40th Space Symposium, including the reveal of a new moon rover and the comments made by NASA's acting administrator about the "weird period" for the space agency right now.

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Robert Pearlman is a space historian, journalist and the founder and editor of collectSPACE.com, a daily news publication and community devoted to space history with a particular focus on how and where space exploration intersects with pop culture. Pearlman is also a contributing writer for Space.com and co-author of "Space Stations: The Art, Science, and Reality of Working in Space” published by Smithsonian Books in 2018.In 2009, he was inducted into the U.S. Space Camp Hall of Fame in Huntsville, Alabama. In 2021, he was honored by the American Astronautical Society with the Ordway Award for Sustained Excellence in Spaceflight History. In 2023, the National Space Club Florida Committee recognized Pearlman with the Kolcum News and Communications Award for excellence in telling the space story along the Space Coast and throughout the world.

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