Fans of historical aviation take note: The next phase of gallery openings at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. are scheduled for this summer.
According to museum officials, five new exhibitions, including the Lockheed Martin Imax Theater and a redesigned museum entrance along the National Mall, will open on Monday, July 28.
The renovation process at the museum began in 2018 and includes a redesign of all 20 galleries as well as a complete refacing of the building’s exterior and modernization of its mechanical systems.
The first phase, which includes eight new galleries, the planetarium, the Mars Café, and museum store, opened in October 2022.
According to Amy Stamm from Smithsonian’s marketing department, the staff is looking forward to the final stretch of the project, which is due to be completed in July 2026, which will mark the museum’s 50th anniversary.
Stamm notes a redesign like this takes several years to plan and execute, and involves hundreds of people with “very specific” skills sets, including the removal of large artifacts and preparing them for transport, and designing gallery rehangs and floor display, as well as curating and conserving the artifacts to make sure they are protected and the presented well.
“It takes a village to do a multiyear project like this, and we are working with people who are at the top of their field,” Stamm said. “For so many people visiting the museum is on their bucket list. Even if they have been here before, when the project is done, the museum will be totally different. It will be reimagined and redesigned with new artifacts and will be a new experience. You’ll be seeing it for the first time all over again.”
Favorite Exhibits Return
During the renovation thousands of artifacts were secured in storage. They will be back on display in the reopened galleries. Among them are Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, the airplane he flew solo across the Atlantic in May 1927, a North American X-15, the so-called “rocket plane” first flown by Scott Crossfield on June 8, 1959, along with John Glenn’s Mercury Friendship 7 capsule, Apollo Lunar Module 2, and the touchable moon rock.
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These will be joined by several new artifacts, such as 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.
Free timed-entry passes will still be required to visit the museum.
Passes for the July 28 opening and beyond will be available on the museum’s website beginning on June 13. Be sure to allow several hours when touring the facility, as the museum is not something you want to rush through.
Galleries Opening July 28
Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall
Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight
World War I: The Birth of Military Aviation
Allan and Shelley Holt Innovations Gallery
Galleries Opening July 1, 2026
RTX Living in the Space Age Hall
Jay I. Kislak World War II in the Air
U.S. National Science Foundation Discovering Our Universe
More information about how the museum is transforming all of its exhibitions and revitalizing the building is available on the Smithsonian website.
The National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., is located at Jefferson Drive between Fourth and Seventh streets S.W. and is open every day except Christmas Day from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET.
The downtown location known as the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located near Washington Dulles International Airport (KIAD) is open every day except Christmas Day from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET Admission is free, timed-entry passes are not required, and parking is $15.
