WASHINGTON – The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum opened five new galleries on July 28, continuing its multi-year renovation with the addition of several reimagined exhibition spaces.
The updated exhibits include: Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall, Futures in Space, Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight, World War I: The Birth of Military Aviation, and the Allan and Shelley Holt Innovations Gallery. With these additions, the museum now features 13 galleries open to the public.
“We are thrilled to open this next phase of exhibitions to the public,” said Chris Browne, the John and Adrienne Mars Director of the museum. “Reopening our main hall with so many iconic aerospace artifacts, as well as completely new exhibitions, will give visitors much more to see and enjoy. We are nearing the end of this multiyear renovation project, and we look forward to welcoming many more people into these modernized and inspiring new spaces.”
The museum is reopening thousands of artifacts, including visitor favorites such as the Spirit of St. Louis, the North American X-15, John Glenn’s Mercury Friendship 7 capsule, Apollo Lunar Module 2, and the touchable moon rock. It is also featuring new additions to the building, including the Sopwith F.1 Camel, Virgin Galactic’s RocketMotorTwo, a Blue Origin New Shepard crew capsule mock-up, and a Goddard 1935 A-series rocket.
The reopening also includes the newly renovated Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater and the Museum Store. Visitors will now enter and exit through a redesigned entrance on Jefferson Drive SW, facing the National Mall.
This is the fourth set of galleries to reopen as part of the museum’s ongoing renovation. The National Air and Space Museum’s full reopening is expected to be complete by 2026.
