The author wished the movie to be called "Rocket Boys," like the book it's based on, but the studio believed that title would not sell well. The compromise title "October Sky" works on two levels: it's the month when the hero is first inspired by Sputnik flying overhead, and it is an anagram of "Rocket Boys".
The town of Coalwood, West Virginia, has lost so many residents that it no longer holds the annual October Sky Festival. The event was moved to Beckley, West Virginia, in 2012 due to the lack of able-bodied volunteers remaining in Coalwood.
This film was released in the United States on February 19, 1999, which was also the 56th birthday of the real-life Homer H. Hickam Jr..
The location of the slag dump where the Rocket Boys actually tested their rockets still exists. It is now a large grassy field. It is located in the actual town of Coalwood, WV which still exists today. They erected a replica test stand, launch pad, and "shed" after the movie brought the rocket boys story back into the public light. Every year the town of Coalwood celebrates the Rocket Boys with a festival in October called "October Sky Festival".
Two of the real-life rocket boys, Sherman Siers and Jimmie O'Dell Carroll were combined into one character named Sherman O'Dell.