The California Science Center in Los Angeles has partnered with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to showcase robotic exploration and planetary science inside the upcoming Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, scheduled to open Nov. 13, 2026.
Featured in the Kent Kresa Space Gallery, the installation highlights six decades of JPL robotic missions. Displayed artifacts will include a restored Ranger lunar probe alongside full-scale models and replicas of the Mariner IV spacecraft, the Viking lander, the Sojourner Mars rover, the Mars Exploration rover, the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover, and the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter.
Suspended displays will feature full-scale models of the Explorer 1 satellite and the Cassini-Huygens space probe, as well as the snake-like Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor (EELS) robot.
Hands-on exhibits will allow visitors to program miniature rovers, assemble planetary spacecraft models, simulate gravity-assist maneuvers, and view interviews with JPL mission personnel, according to museum officials.
“We are proud to work with the California Science Center to bring JPL’s extraordinary story of exploration to life,” said Dave Gallagher, director of JPL and vice president of Caltech. “The expansion brilliantly captures the Lab’s bold past, inspiring missions exploring today, and innovations that could unveil cosmic mysteries and redefine what is possible in space.”
The 200,000-square-foot Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center expansion nearly doubles the museum’s exhibit space across three multi-level galleries. The facility also houses the Space Shuttle Endeavour, displayed vertically in a full launch configuration with authentic solid rocket boosters and external tank ET-94.
While general admission to the California Science Center is free, advance reservations for the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center carry a $4 service fee and are available by calling 213-744-2019.
For more information: CaliforniaScienceCenter.org
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