TENERIFE, Canary Islands, Sept. 8, 2026 — Fifteen years after STARMUS brought together the legends who defined the first age of human space exploration, the Festival will welcome the explorers who have opened its newest chapter.
Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen will attend STARMUS VIII — The Search for Truth, taking place in Tenerife and La Palma from Oct. 17–22, 2026.
Their arrival brings the story of STARMUS full circle.
The origins of Starmus
STARMUS was born in the Canary Islands in 2011 with an extraordinary gathering dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s first human spaceflight.
Among those who came to Tenerife and La Palma were some of the greatest explorers in the history of spaceflight: Neil Armstrong, the first human to walk on the Moon; Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 lunar module pilot and second human on the Moon; and Alexei Leonov, the first person to walk in space.
They were joined by Apollo astronauts, Nobel Prize-winning scientists, leading astronomers, thinkers and musicians.
Armstrong delivered one of his rare public lectures. Aldrin spoke about humanity’s future journey to Mars. Leonov recounted the extraordinary beginnings of the Soviet space programme and his historic first spacewalk.
But STARMUS wanted to create something that went beyond a conventional scientific conference.
To commemorate the 108 minutes of Yuri Gagarin’s historic orbit of Earth, STARMUS created the 108 Minutes Round Table — exactly 108 minutes in which some of the world’s greatest minds could confront the biggest questions facing humanity.
The first historic discussion was held inside the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on La Palma. Neil Armstrong and Alexei Leonov sat around the same table with Brian May, Richard Dawkins, Jill Tarter, Nobel laureates and other leading scientists and thinkers for an unprecedented 108-minute conversation about humanity, science and our future in the cosmos.
It became one of the defining traditions of STARMUS.
Over subsequent editions, the 108 Minutes has brought together extraordinary figures including Stephen Hawking and Jane Goodall, Nobel laureates, Apollo astronauts, thinkers and artists — people who might rarely find themselves around the same table — to confront some of the greatest questions about humanity, our planet and our future.
Starmus and the legacy of Apollo
Space exploration has remained at the heart of STARMUS throughout its history.
STARMUS was founded in 2011 by astrophysicist Dr. Garik Israelian and Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Sir Brian May. Since then, nine astronauts from the Apollo era have joined STARMUS, including some of the most celebrated figures in the history of human space exploration and several of the twelve humans who walked on the Moon.
That extraordinary connection reached one of its high points in 2019, when STARMUS V in Zurich, under the title “A Giant Leap,” celebrated the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 and humanity’s first steps on another world.
Six Apollo astronauts joined that special edition, including Buzz Aldrin, Walt Cunningham, Rusty Schweickart, Al Worden, Charlie Duke and Harrison Schmitt — three of them Moonwalkers.
They joined an extraordinary gathering of scientists, astronauts and artists celebrating one of humanity’s greatest achievements.
Hans Zimmer, Brian May, Rick Wakeman, Steve Vai and other musicians performed during a special musical celebration of Apollo and the legacy of Stephen Hawking.
That edition also marked another historic moment.
Buzz Aldrin received the first Stephen Hawking Medal for Lifetime Achievement, recognising a life that had transformed humanity’s relationship with the cosmos.
From Apollo To Artemis
Now STARMUS turns from celebrating the legacy of Apollo to the generation carrying human exploration forward.
Earlier this year, Artemis II carried Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen around the Moon and safely back to Earth — the first humans to travel to the Moon in more than half a century.
During their historic journey, the four astronauts travelled farther from Earth than any humans before them.
Artemis II represents far more than a return to lunar space. It has opened a new era of human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and paved the way for future missions to the lunar surface and, ultimately, deeper into the Solar System.
In October, three members of that historic crew — Wiseman, Glover and Hansen — will come to Tenerife and La Palma for STARMUS VIII.
The connection is unmistakable.
In 2011, STARMUS brought Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Alexei Leonov to the Canary Islands to inspire a new generation by telling the story of humanity’s first great leap into space.
In 2026, members of the Artemis II crew arrive to continue that story.
Ten years of the Stephen Hawking Medal
Their participation also comes during another important STARMUS anniversary.
STARMUS VIII celebrates 10 years of the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication, created in 2016 by Stephen Hawking and STARMUS to recognise individuals who have transformed the public understanding of science and humanity’s place in the Universe.
Over the past decade, the Medal has recognised an extraordinary group of scientists, communicators, filmmakers, explorers and artists, including Hans Zimmer, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Buzz Aldrin, Jane Goodall, Brian May, Christopher Nolan, Sir David Attenborough and Sir Ridley Scott.
The Medal reflects one of STARMUS’s founding principles: that humanity’s greatest discoveries acquire their full power when they are communicated beyond laboratories and universities — through stories, images, music, exploration and human experience.
That commitment to science communication extends far beyond the Festival itself. Education and public engagement have been central to STARMUS from the beginning. STARMUS has delivered hundreds of free lectures at more than 35 universities and educational institutions, reaching over 20,000 students. Its free Science Camps have welcomed more than 250,000 people, with over 130 workshops, interactive exhibits and science booths bringing science directly to young people, families and the wider public.
The next generation of explorers
STARMUS VIII takes place under the theme “The Search for Truth,” bringing together an extraordinary international community including Geoffrey Hinton, Steven Pinker, Christiana Figueres and May-Britt Moser, alongside Nobel laureates, astronauts, scientists, technology leaders, thinkers and internationally renowned artists.
Alongside the Artemis II crew, STARMUS VIII will welcome two legendary figures of human spaceflight: Chris Hadfield, astronaut, former Commander of the International Space Station and one of the world’s most influential communicators of space exploration; and Julie Payette, astronaut and former Governor General of Canada, who flew two missions aboard the Space Shuttle and served aboard the International Space Station.
STARMUS VIII will open on Oct. 17 with a spectacular Opening Concert in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, headlined by Brian May, Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman & Friends. The evening will bring together music, science and some of STARMUS’s most distinguished international guests, while also celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication.
Together, they add another generation to an extraordinary STARMUS tradition of bringing the people who have actually explored space into direct conversation with scientists, artists and the public.
The presence of Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen, together with Chris Hadfield and Julie Payette, creates a remarkable bridge across the history and future of human space exploration — from Gagarin and the pioneers of the first human spaceflight era, through Armstrong, Aldrin and Apollo, to the International Space Station and now Artemis and humanity’s return to deep space.
“We are humbled and excited to join this year’s STARMUS gathering. It’s an amazing legacy, and we are still overwhelmed and inspired by our small part in it. The Artemis II mission made history, but as my crewmates repeatedly say, we know that this is really about making the future, and we are excited to discuss that with you all and above all to thank you for the global support!” said Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot.
“STARMUS was born with the pioneers who took humanity into space and onto the Moon,” said STARMUS co-founder Dr. Garik Israelian. “Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Alexei Leonov gave STARMUS something that has remained part of its DNA ever since — the conviction that exploration has the power to change how we see ourselves and our planet.”
STARMUS is committed to ensuring that the achievements of Artemis II reach far beyond the space community — inspiring young people to become the scientists, engineers, astronauts, artists and explorers who will define humanity’s next great journey.
The legacy that came to STARMUS with Armstrong, Aldrin and Leonov in 2011 now continues with Artemis.
A new generation has reached the Moon. Now they are landing at STARMUS.
Festival passes and individual tickets, including tickets for the Opening Concert on Oct. 17, are available through the official STARMUS website: www.starmus.com.
STARMUS VIII is made possible with the support of Cabildo de Tenerife, Gobierno de Canarias, Cabildo de La Palma, Sodepal and its international partners and sponsors.
US: Dan DuPont dupont0708@gmail.com +1 202 380 7558
UK/EU: Nicole Ettinger nicole@ettingerpr.com +44 7515 394107
Spain: Carlos Esteban cesteban@llyc.global +34 699 55 28 54
Pablo Maté Sanllorente pablo.mate@llyc.global +34 656 53 72 87
For more information, please visit starmus.com
