Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum facts for kids
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| Former name | Air Force Space and Missile Museum |
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| Established | 1966 |
| Location | Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Brevard County, near Cape Canaveral, Florida (main center) 100 Space Port Way Port Canaveral, Brevard County (History Center) |
| Type | Aerospace museum |
The Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum is a cool place in Florida where you can learn all about space! It used to be called the Air Force Space and Missile Museum. This museum is located at Launch Complex 26 on the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The museum has many amazing items from the early days of America's space program. Outside, you can see real rockets, missiles, and other space equipment. These displays show the history of space and missile work done by the US Air Force, the US Space Force, and other parts of the military.
To visit the main museum, you need to be a U.S. citizen or resident. You can go as part of special tours offered by Canaveral Tours. There are also free tours given by Space Launch Delta 45. This group was formed in May 2021 from the 45th Space Wing.
A large part of a Titan rocket was added to the museum's collection in 2023.
Contents
Exploring the Museum's Locations
Sands Space History Center: Open to Everyone
The Sands Space History Center is a special part of the museum that everyone can visit. It is located just outside the main gate of the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It opened to the public on August 14, 2010.
This center is about 3,200-square-foot (300 m2) in size. It shows the amazing progress and history of the space program. You can see displays about each of the launch pads, starting from when they were first built in 1949. The exhibits include items from the 1950s, like parts of launch vehicles and control systems.
Unlike the main museum, you do not need special tours or to pay a fee to visit the Sands Space History Center. Admission is free, and it is open to the public six days a week. The center was updated and reopened on June 17, 2025.
Hangar C: Home to Giant Rockets
In the past, many of the museum's large missiles were outside in a "Rocket Garden." But the hot, humid Florida weather and ocean air started to damage them. So, these missiles were moved indoors to be fixed and protected.
Eventually, a historic building called Hangar C became their new home. This is the oldest hangar at Cape Canaveral. It used to be a place where missiles were put together for almost all launches from the Cape. Hangar C was completely renovated to make it safe and ready for visitors.
Since early 2020, public tours from the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex have included stops at Hangar C. This allows visitors to see many of the museum's large artifacts up close. In 2021, a Navaho missile from the collection was put back on display near the south gate of the station.
Gallery
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Rocket garden before artifacts were moved inside
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Gemini 2 spacecraft
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A test version of a Gemini spacecraft, now in Hangar C
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A special train engine used for the Titan program
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A Delta II rocket launching from nearby, seen from the rocket garden
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A ground station for the GPS system
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The control building for LC-26, now part of the museum
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A Thor-Able rocket, now on display in Hangar C
More to Explore
- Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 26 - Learn more about this launch site.
- Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex - Another great place to learn about space.
- Titan Missile Museum - Discover more about Titan missiles.
