National Air and Space Museum Concludes Landmark Renovation Project
The milestone centers on the public openings of two final galleries: At Home in Space,
which debuted on Friday, Oct. 30, and Modern Military Aviation,
scheduled to open on Wednesday, Nov. 11, on Veterans Day. These launches bring visitors back to the entirety of the museum after a massive overhaul that included redesigning all 20 galleries, refacing the exterior cladding, and replacing outdated mechanical systems and physical plants, according to Design News.
Inside the Final Two Galleries
The At Home in Space
exhibition immerses visitors in a more than 50-year chronicle of continuous human habitation and work in space, stretching from the Space Shuttle and International Space Station era toward future lunar endeavors. Key artifacts on display feature a retired space shuttle main engine, a flown Extravehicular Mobility Unit spacesuit, Robonaut 1A, and in-flight suits worn by Guy Bluford and Sally Ride.
Visitors can also step inside a full-scale mock-up of the International Space Station’s U.S. Destiny laboratory module. According to Ars Technica, the exhibit showcases crew equipment such as microgravity-engineered coffee cups, a miniPCR biotech toolkit, and a portable device used to sequence DNA in space for the first time. Another highlight is the first 3D printer used in space, originally flown in 2014 by NASA and Made In Space. The gallery concludes with a dedicated space for the Artemis I capsule, featuring a Lockheed Martin scale model of the Orion spacecraft as a placeholder until NASA delivers the real flight article, alongside a piece of Wright Flyer fabric that flew to the moon on Artemis II.
Meanwhile, the Modern Military Aviation
exhibition explores how nuclear weapons and aviation technology advancements have altered conflict, diplomacy, and military operations from the Cold War onward.
Renovation Phasing and Visitor Information
The overarching revitalization has progressed in multiple phases. The first half of the renovated facility opened in October 2022 with eight new or reimagined galleries, alongside the Northrop Grumman Planetarium, the museum store, and the Mars Café. A second phase followed in July 2025 with five new galleries, and another five galleries opened on July 1 of this year.
Located at 650 Jefferson Dr. S.W. in Washington, D.C., the National Air and Space Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., except on Dec. 25. While admission remains free, visitors must secure timed-entry passes ahead of arrival. Its companion facility, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, operates on the same daily schedule in Chantilly, Virginia, near Washington Dulles International Airport, where admission is free without timed-entry passes, though parking costs $15.