Five new galleries, the renovated Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater and a transformed entrance are all coming to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum on Monday.
The five new galleries are the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall, Futures in Space, Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight, World War I: The Birth of Military Aviation and Allan and Shelley Holt Innovations Gallery.
“Thousands of artifacts will go back on display in the reopened galleries,” according to a release.
“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 will be back on view. Several artifacts new to the building in Washington will include 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 Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater now has new and improved sound and picture quality, seating and an updated lobby area, giving visitors the opportunity to select their own seats for Hollywood movies.
All visitors will now enter through the north entrance, which is on Jefferson Drive along the National Mall (600 Jefferson Drive SW), and can exit through that same location or through the south doors on Independence Avenue.
Ticketing procedures remain the same, which are time-entry passes, and can be accessed on the museum’s website.
“We are thrilled to open this next phase of exhibitions to the public,” Chris Browne, John and Adrienne Mars director of the National Air and Space Museum, said in a statement.
“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 renovations to all 20 exhibitions at the museum began back in 2018, and will end on July 1, 2026. The museum is open every day except for Christmas from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.