Space…the final frontier of travel.
Ever since the first spaceflight by the USSR’s Yuri Gagarin, dozens of countries have sent both rockets, humans and tons of equipment up into the great void above.
Accordingly, dozens of msuseums and centres worldwide exist to document and disseminate the history, hardware and expertise that went into some of humanity’s most technologically advanced travel.
While space tourism may still be far out for the average traveller, get a taste of space with these space and aerospace museums from around the world:
U.S. Space & Rocket Center, USA
Think of the USA and space, you’ll most probably think of a famous stretch of coast down in sunny Florida.
But one of the country’s earliest and most prolific museums about space travel is actually further inland in Alabama!
Established during the heady space race of the 60s, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center houses some of the earliest hardware in the USA’s space program.
The Explorer 1 rocket which launched the first US satellite, the Saturn V rocket that carried the first humans beyond low Earth orbit and even the quarantine cabin for the Apollo 12 mission call this storied museum home, among other more modern additions.
The Explorer 1 rocket is particularly noteworthy for its sheer size, which takes up an entire hangar while various component exhibits are explored beneath its shadow.
U.S. Space & Rocket Center, USA
One Tranquility Base
Huntsville, AL 35805
https://www.rocketcenter.com/
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, USA
Clear blue skies, a vast, open coast and a lone rocket primed and ready.
Arguably no launch site in the US is more iconic than the Space Coast, a stretch of sunny Florida coast that includes the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and, of course, the Kennedy Space Center.
Thanks to Florida’s location near the equator – which provides a boost to a rocket’s speed – this site has seen off almost all of NASA’s major crewed and uncrewed missions for decades.
This heritage is celebrated within the halls of the nearby Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Its massive Rocket Garden, a US Astronaut Hall of Fame and various simulators and VR experiences make it one the US’ premiere space museums.
Recent spacecraft and space suits from the private SpaceX or Blue Origin missions are also on display in the Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex, recently opened in 2022.
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
Space Commerce Way, Merritt Island, FL 32953, USA
https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, USA
Although not exclusively focused on space exploration, countless aerospace vehicles are housed in the esteemed Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.
Unlike similar museums, most of its space-related artifacts are either actual spacecraft or backups, letting visitors see spacefaring history with their own eyes.
Some of the many highlights amongst its vast hangars include the Columbia command module from Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong’s worn spacesuit and the Friendship 7 capsule from the US’ first orbital spaceflight.
Once you’re all spaced out, make sure to check out the rest of the aerospace exhibits, which includes planes all the way to the Wright Brothers’ plane!
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, USA
650 Jefferson Dr SW, Washington, DC 20004, United States
https://airandspace.si.edu/
National Air and Space Museum, France
Europe isn’t as flashy as the Big Three of space exploration, but that doesn’t mean they can’t try!
Not only is France’s National Air and Space Museum one of the world’s first aviation museums, it also boasts a humongous collection of early, prewar, WW1, WW2 and postwar aircraft from both civilian and military roles.
Of course, space exploration gets its own Space Hall, where probes, satellites and boosters are recreated through scale models. Take note of the original Soyuz T-6 capsule used by France’s first astronaut!
The museum also features a huge tarmac area that displays many aircraft out in the great outdoors, with the towering Ariane rocket boosters being highlights.
National Air and Space Museum, France
Aéroport de Paris-Le Bourget, 93352 Le Bourget, France
https://www.museeairespace.fr/en/
Zhuhai Aerospace Land, China
Recently opened in 2023, Zhuhai Aerospace Land is China’s sparkling new space museum. In fact, it’s located just a few hundred kilometres from one of China’s space ports at Hainan.
Within its neon blue halls, cutting-edge VR experiences and simulators take you into space while replicas of the Chang’e lunar rovers and Zhurong Mars rovers let you see China’s space achievements up close.
To top it all off, there’s even a massive life-sized replica of the Tiangong space station you can walk around in!
Military enthusiasts will also like the museum’s section dedicated to Chinese military airplanes.
Zhuhai Aerospace Land, China
S272 (Jinhai East Road), Sanzao Town, Jinwan District, Zhuhai City, China
Shanghai Astronomy Museum, China
Although primarily focused on astronomy and celestial bodies, the Shanghai Astronomy Museum deserves a visit alone just for its circular, planet-inspired architecture devised by New York firm Ennead. It’s more than a match with the most stylish museums of the world.
Within its cavernous halls, the museum explores the composition and position of various planets and phenomena via some impressive multimedia exhibits. True to its name, the museum also houses a planetarium and a giant cinema.
Hardware fanatics won’t be disappointed either, as hardware replicas of China’s Moon and Mars rovers and a walkable space station module are available for visitors to admire. You could also go to Nikko’s winter wilds for some truly otherworldly landscapes.
Shanghai Astronomy Museum, China
No. 380 Lingang Avenue, Pudong New Area, Shanghai 201306, China
https://www.sstm-sam.org.cn/#/en/home
Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics, Russia
A sleek, elegant monument of steel rockets into the heavens. A socialist mural honours the workers, scientists and pilots behind the machines. Beneath it all is Russia’s (and the former USSR’s) ode to its space program – the Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics.
Thanks to achieving many firsts in space exploration, the USSR and Russia have a long and proud pedigree that is explored via vehicles, equipment and artifacts – many of which are originals!
Must-sees at the museum include the stuffed bodies of Belka and Strelka (the first dogs to survive an orbital space mission), Yuri Gagarin’s original space capsule (scorch marks and all) along with dozens of spacesuits from various cosmonauts and astronauts.
Before you leave, don’t forget to stop by the nearby Cosmonauts Alley to admire the heroic busts of Russia’s pioneering cosmonauts.
Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics
Prospekt Mira, 111, Moscow, Russia, 129223
https://kosmo-museum.ru/visit?locale=en
Tanegashima Space Center, Japan
Gorgeous sandy beaches, rugged coasts, cerulean waters and clear skies all around – it’s little wonder Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center is often called one of the most beautiful spaceports in the world.
Located on the historic southern Tanegashima Island, the onsite Space Science and Technology Museum lets you admire see-through models of rocket boosters, touch handprints of former Japanese astronauts and take selfies inside the Japanese segment of the International Space Station.
Outside, various viewpoints grant you a bird’s eye view of the complex and the launch site itself. Tours to the actual launch site, mission control and rocket assembly buildings are also available.
Hardware geeks should look instead to the Tsukuba Space Center, which is about an hour by bus from Tokyo and its anime pop culture hotspots.
Tanegashima Space Center
Space Science and Technology Museum
Azamatsu, Oaza Kukanaga, Minamitane-cho, Kumage-gun, Kagoshima, Japan
https://global.jaxa.jp/about/centers/tnsc/index.html
Head still stuck in the stars? Then you might like to go moonwalking at these 5 Moon-like Locations on Earth or go stargazing at these 9 Malaysian Stargazing Spots.
