Founded and led by Saanvi Phaneendra · 501(c)(3) since 2024

Free, museum-quality rocket exhibits for every community.

Galactic Getaway brings 1:144 scale models of Starship, SLS, Falcon Heavy and more to public libraries, colleges and universities across the San Francisco Bay Area. Student-founded and community-powered, because a child's curiosity shouldn't depend on their zip code.

Host an exhibit → Support the mission See the research
Saanvi Phaneendra standing beside the Galactic Getaway rocket exhibit at Fremont Main Library
Saanvi with the exhibit at Fremont Main LibraryNow showing: 11 rocket models · Free · Through October 31
60,000+People reached
18+Venues hosted
4Counties reached
18Rockets, 3 rotating sets
$25K+Raised
1,000+Volunteer hours
Recognized by U.S. CongressGovernor of CaliforniaCalifornia Secretary of StateAlameda CountyBlue Origin Club for the FutureCandid Gold Transparency 2025
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For libraries and schools

Host a free 4 to 6 week rotating exhibit. We deliver, install, and pick up. Your only job is to have a display case and a community that likes rockets.

Request an exhibit →
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For donors and grantmakers

See where the money goes, who we've reached, and the recognition we've earned. We hold a Candid Gold Seal and publish our EIN right on this page.

See our impact →
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For researchers, press and reviewers

Read about our randomized study at Stanford Aero/Astro, the international forum we hosted, and the press that has covered our work.

Read the research →
Who does this

Student-founded. Community-powered.

Founder and Executive Director Saanvi Phaneendra sets the vision and leads every program: sourcing rockets from four countries, building the display cases, bringing each library on board, running the workshops and storytimes, the Stanford study, and an international forum with a university in India. A volunteer board guides governance, and partner librarians, guest speakers, and 1,000+ volunteer hours help bring each exhibit to life.

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Saanvi Phaneendra, Founder and Executive DirectorEagle Scout. Student researcher with Stanford Aeronautics and Astronautics. Host of Space Spotlight on Express Yourself! Teen Radio, 30+ episodes heard in 219 countries. Read her story →
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How it startedIn 2024, a sonic boom from an early Starship test flight at Starbase gave her an idea: what if kids didn't have to travel to Texas to feel that?
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What she leadsRotating rocket exhibits, hands-on space workshops, library storytimes, inspiration talks, and now international webinars. For all ages.
Saanvi Phaneendra installing rocket models in the display case at Fremont Main Library
Reading Mae Among the Stars to Little Hawks preschoolers under the rocket exhibit, Las Positas College Library Running the AI smart glasses study at Stanford Finishing touches on the 11-rocket exhibit at Stanford Giving a Blast Off to Space talk at Dublin Library At Starbase, Texas for Starship Flight 13 Presenting research at UCLA Talking rockets with a library visitor With a partner librarian beside the display
Impact

Two years, four counties, and counting

From Cupertino to Concord and Stanford to Tracy, every exhibit is free to the host and free to visitors.

2024Founded

Starts as an Eagle Scout project, becomes a 501(c)(3). First exhibit opens at Dublin Library.

2025Stanford and nine more venues

An 11-rocket exhibit in Stanford's Durand Building, plus KIPAC Community Day, Cupertino, Milpitas, San Lorenzo, Almaden, Moraga and more.

May 2026Storytime and a study

Little Hawks preschoolers visit the exhibit at Las Positas College. A randomized AI glasses study runs at Stanford.

July 2026First publication

The Galactic Getaway exhibit model is published as a preprint in the Research Archive of Rising Scholars.

Sept 2026Goes international

Global Aviation and Aerospace Forum with Galgotias University, India. 100+ students, speakers from Stanford, Relativity Space and NASA Ames.

Oct 2026Fremont Main Library

11 rockets on display through October 31. The AI glasses paper is under review at the Journal of Emerging Investigators.

Where the rockets have been 19 stops

Libraries, colleges and community events across four counties, from the Tri-Valley to the South Bay and out to the Central Valley.

  • Alameda County7
  • Santa Clara County5
  • Contra Costa County5
  • San Joaquin County2

Still to reach: San Francisco, the Peninsula and the North Bay. Bring the rockets to your town →

See every exhibit location →

New · September 30, 2026

Global Aviation and Aerospace Forum

Our first international event. Galactic Getaway partnered with Galgotias University's School of Aviation, Logistics and Tourism Management in India for a live webinar that brought together more than 100 students across two continents.

  • Lauren Simitz, PhD candidate, Stanford Aeronautics and Astronautics
  • Jordan Niemann, manufacturing engineer, rocket engine turbopumps, Relativity Space
  • Hannah Alpert, aerospace engineer, NASA Ames Research Center
  • Co-moderated by Capt. Vaibhav Goutham Suresh, Director, SALTM, Galgotias University, India
  • Organized, hosted, and co-moderated by Saanvi Phaneendra, Founder and Executive Director of Galactic Getaway
▶ Watch the recording
Research

We don't just show rockets. We study how people learn from them.

Study participants filling out surveys at the Stanford rocket exhibit, faces covered for privacy
Submitted to the Journal of Emerging Investigators

Do AI smart glasses help people learn at a rocket exhibit?

Saanvi designed and ran a randomized study at the Stanford exhibit in May 2026, with a Stanford Aero/Astro doctoral researcher as co-author. Visitors used either Meta Ray-Ban AI glasses or a detailed comparison poster. Results will be shared once the paper is published.

Read about the study →
Published preprint · July 2026

Galactic Getaway: A Community-Based Rocket Exhibit Model

Saanvi's write-up of the exhibit model for inspiring the next generation of space explorers, in the Research Archive of Rising Scholars.

Read the paper →
Behind the exhibit

The poster that took a week

Eleven rockets compared by engines, propellant, propulsion cycle, payload and cost. Every number checked by hand.

See the poster →
Saanvi Phaneendra beside the Galactic Getaway exhibit screen at Stanford Aeronautics and Astronautics
Stanford Aeronautics and Astronautics

Supported and encouraged by Stanford Aero/Astro

  • Exhibit in the Durand Building. Saanvi's 11-rocket exhibit was hosted in the department's home building, the largest set she has shown anywhere.
  • Research with the department. Her AI smart glasses study ran at that exhibit, with a Stanford Aero/Astro doctoral researcher as co-author, and went through Stanford's IRB process.
  • Recognized by the department. Galactic Getaway received a commendation from Stanford Aeronautics and Astronautics.
  • Stanford KIPAC Community Day. The exhibit reached thousands of visitors at the Kavli Institute's public open day.
  • On the forum stage. A Stanford Aero/Astro PhD candidate spoke at the Global Aviation and Aerospace Forum Saanvi organized.
In the press

Covered in print, online and on air

Lamorinda Weekly · Front page · Sept 2025Local teen's exhibit makes space exploration realFront-page print feature on the exhibit and the student behind it.Read the clipping → Patch · FremontGalactic Getaway brings free rocket exhibit to Fremont Main LibraryCoverage of the current 11-rocket exhibit.Read on Patch → Patch · Palo AltoRocket exhibit touches down at Stanford againThe return of the exhibit to Stanford Aeronautics and Astronautics.Read on Patch → The Independent · LivermorePhaneendra receives Eagle awardThe Eagle Scout project that became Galactic Getaway.Read the article → Express Yourself! Teen RadioGalactic Getaway on Space SpotlightSaanvi's radio feature on the exhibits and the mission.Listen → Media kitAll press, photos and assetsEverything a journalist, librarian or partner needs in one place.Open the press page →
The fleet

Eighteen rockets. Three rotating sets. All at 1:144 scale.

Metallic, museum-quality models of the rockets shaping the next era of space exploration, from the United States, Europe, Russia and China. Tap a rocket to learn more.

USAStarshipSpaceX USASLSNASA USAFalcon HeavySpaceX USANew GlennBlue Origin USAVulcan CentaurULA USATerran RRelativity Space USAFalcon 9SpaceX USANeutronRocket Lab EuropeAriane 6ESA ChinaLong March 9CASC RussiaAngara A5VRoscosmos 18 totalAll rocketsExplore the collection

Standard exhibit: 6 rockets per display case. Larger venues can host up to 12.

Explore live launches, 70 years of launch data and interactive rocket tools →

Recognition

Recognized at the city, county, state and federal level

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U.S. House of RepresentativesSpecial Congressional Recognition
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U.S. SenatorCertificate of Accomplishment
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Governor of CaliforniaCommendation
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California Secretary of StateRecognition
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Alameda CountyBoard of Supervisors Commendation
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Blue OriginClub for the Future
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City of DublinCertificate of Recognition · Organization of the Year 2025 finalist
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City of LivermoreMayor's Certificate
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City of MilpitasCommendation
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CandidGold Seal of Transparency 2025
Leadership

The people behind it

Saanvi PhaneendraSaanvi PhaneendraFounder and Executive Director

Student researcher, Eagle Scout and radio host. Runs exhibits, workshops, research and the day-to-day. About Saanvi →

Siri PhaneendraSiri PhaneendraPresident and Board Chair

UC Berkeley Haas graduate with a background in purpose-driven entrepreneurship.

Saisiva KuppaSaisiva KuppaBoard Member

Business strategist with an MBA from the University of Kentucky. Supports outreach and operations.

Anish VenkatAnish VenkatBoard Member

Ohio State graduate working in fintech. Brings technology insight and helps run our digital initiatives.

Watch

See it in action

Hello from our founder

Meet Saanvi Phaneendra

About the display box

Museum-quality exhibits up close

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On YouTubeGalactic Getaway channel

60+ videos on Starship test flights, Artemis and new space discoveries, with 66K+ views.

Subscribe →
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On airSpace Spotlight radio

Saanvi hosts Space Spotlight on Express Yourself! Teen Radio (VoiceAmerica), with 30+ episodes on rockets, AI and STEM, heard in 219 countries.

Listen →
Galactic Bytes blog

Featured stories

May 19, 2026

Sparking Curiosity with LPC's Little Hawks

Preschoolers, a rocket exhibit, and one little hand in the air.
May 20, 2026

Testing AI Smart Glasses at a Rocket Exhibit

How the Stanford study worked, and why the results are waiting on the journal.
August 15, 2026

Hearing Zero at Starbase

The countdown hit zero and Starship stayed on the pad. My Flight 13 story.

All posts →

Host an exhibit

Bring the rockets to your community

Libraries, schools, colleges, museums and community centers across the Bay Area can host a Galactic Getaway exhibit at no cost.

  • Free. We cover the models, delivery, installation and pickup.
  • Rotating 4 to 6 week placements, timed around your calendar.
  • Optional storytime, workshop or talk for your visitors.
  • QR codes on every rocket link to kid-friendly pages about each one.
  • You need a lockable display case and a little floor space. That's it.

Past hosts include Fremont Main Library, Las Positas College Library, Stanford Aeronautics and Astronautics, Cupertino, Milpitas, San Lorenzo, Almaden, Moraga and Dublin libraries. See all venues →