NASA’s Space Shuttle Endeavour will return to the public eye in its new permanent home when the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center opens this November.
On Wednesday, the California Science Center Foundation announced that the Endeavour exhibit and the entire Air and Space Center would hold its grand opening on Nov. 13, 2026, with NASA’s workhorse space shuttle debuting in its fully upright position.
When the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center opens later this year, history buffs and aviation enthusiasts will finally get the opportunity to see the only complete, authentic space shuttle system in existence in ready-to-launch position.
Endeavour, connected to real solid rocket boosters and the last-surviving “flight-qualified” external tank, stands upright within a brand new facility with 360-degree walkways that rise up and above the nearly 200-feet tall exhibit.
It’s a 200,000-square-foot expansion at the California Science Center, almost doubling the museum’s entire footprint, and also features a real Harrier T.4 fighter jet and an interactive Boeing 747 exhibit that serve as the focal points of the Korean Air Aviation Gallery.
Late last year, museum officials announced the installation of a Rocket Lab launch vehicle and a Solid Rocket Booster segment would be placed in the Kent Kresa Space Gallery of the building.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom celebrated the latest milestone, thanking the donors and dreamers that made the Air and Space Center a reality, and heralded the state as one of the preeminent hotbeds of air and aerospace exploration.
“California has always been a place of discovery — from the early pioneers of flight to the engineers, astronauts, scientists, and innovators who helped shape the space age and who are powering the next era of exploration today,” Newsom said in a news release. “The new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center reflects our state’s enduring commitment to science, education, and innovation, and it will inspire learners of all ages for generations to come.”
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The Air and Space Center expansion is considered the final phase a of three-phase, 30-year development plan to ensure the California Science Center remains one of the leading learning centers on the planet.
The project’s estimated costs are around $450 million, the bulk of which has been raised and/or donated by dozens of philanthropic partners. Donations for the outstanding balance are still welcomed and appreciated.
Endeavour captured the imagination of a nation
While the new museum wing will feature dozens of historic aircraft and interactive exhibits, Endeavour remains the focal point and the spiritual heart of the California Science Center.
“Space Shuttle Endeavour captivated millions during its flight from Florida and around California and then its historic overland journey from LAX to the California Science Center in 2012. It then went on to inspire millions more while on display for more than a decade,” said California Science Center CEO Jeffrey Rudolph. “With its display of Endeavour in launch position, the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will give us a greater platform than ever to accomplish our mission, to stimulate curiosity and inspire science learning in everyone.”
Endeavour was taken off exhibit and moved into an upright position in 2024, as crews built the Air and Space Center around it.
USC students and visitors, or those attending a match or concert at BMO Stadium, watched the progress of the construction since its groundbreaking in late 2022. The design of the exhibit’s exterior is described as “unique” with a 200-ton “curvilinear stainless-steel exterior” inspired by the aerodynamic design of the Space Shuttle itself.
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Designers sought to create a landmark that was unlike any other, with the knowledge that it could be visible from various neighborhoods across Los Angeles.
Construction of the building itself concluded this past May, and anticipation for the eventual opening and reintroduction of Endeavour has only built since then.
Rudolph added that the “full-stack” configuration and the most complete space shuttle system in existence is the “fulfillment of a decades long dream” that will be a source of inspiration for the next generations of explorers, scientists and engineers that built NASA, the California Science Center, and dreamed to push the boundaries of what man once thought possible.
The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will open on Nov. 13, 2026
While the heavy lifting of the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center is completed, the next several months will be dedicated to installing and placing the hundreds of other artifacts and exhibits across the facility to ensure it’s ready to open by November.
The rest of the California Science Center in Exposition Park remains open to the public while the final work continues.
Admission to the museum, which is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the American Alliance of Museums, is free.
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