![\"\"](\"https:\/\/loopla.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Space-Museums-London-2-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nLocation: <\/strong>National Maritime Museum, SE10<\/p>\n\n\n\n How to get there: <\/strong>Cutty Sark DLR or Greenwich rail, roughly eight minutes from London Bridge<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tickets: <\/strong>Exhibition only: \u00a38.00 per person. Exhibition plus planetarium show: \u00a316.00 per person. Children under 4 go free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Open until: <\/strong>29 June 2026 (closed Tuesdays and Fridays)<\/p>\n\n\n\n This temporary exhibition fills the gap left by the planetarium closure with something genuinely worth visiting. Real astronomers from the Royal Observatory roam the gallery floor in NASA-style boilersuits, running demonstrations and answering questions. It is one of the few museum experiences in London where expert staff are actively and heavily involved, rather than standing by displays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Highlights include a Galaxy Box that gives a sense of the scale of the universe, a Mars rover landing simulation and spectroscopy demonstrations using a starlight splitter. A scavenger hunt sends kids hunting for the strangest objects ever taken into space, including a gorilla suit and Luke Skywalker’s lightsabre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The planetarium itself is a pop-up version, smaller and more intimate than the Greenwich original. Three shows run on rotation: Animals in Space (for younger children), The Night Sky and Solar System Sightseeing. All are led live by an astronomer. Shows run at weekends and daily during school holidays; booking ahead is strongly recommended as capacity is around 37 seats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Book Astronomers Take Over tickets at the National Maritime Museum<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Location: <\/strong>Exhibition Road, SW7<\/p>\n\n\n\n How to get there: <\/strong>South Kensington Tube (Circle, District and Piccadilly lines), a short walk away<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tickets: <\/strong>General admission free (pre-booking required). Wonderlab: from \u00a317.00. IMAX: from \u00a312.00.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Science Museum is the most popular single destination for space-focused families in London right now. Its new Space gallery, which opened in September 2025, replaced the long-running Exploring Space gallery and is free to enter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The centrepiece of the new gallery is the pairing of two human-flown spacecraft displayed side by side for the first time anywhere in the world: the Apollo 10 command module, which orbited the Moon in 1969, and the Soyuz TMA-19M descent module that brought British astronaut Tim Peake back from the International Space Station in 2016. Kids can peer inside both and see the scorched surfaces up close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other highlights include the spacesuit worn by Helen Sharman, the first British person in space, a 3.5 billion-year-old piece of the Moon collected during the Apollo 15 mission, and a six-metre-tall full-size engineering model of BepiColombo, the spacecraft currently approaching Mercury. At the centre of the gallery, a large sphere projects planetary data and imagery narrated by Sharman herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Until 26 June 2026, visitors can also see a full-scale replica of the Blue Origin New Shepard spacecraft in the Making the Modern World gallery, just a short walk through the ground floor from Space. New Shepard is a fully reusable suborbital rocket designed to carry passengers to the edge of space. The replica allows families to peer through its large windows and get a real sense of its scale. Entry is free, and no separate ticket is required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For children who want to do science rather than just look at it, Wonderlab is the Science Museum’s interactive gallery on level three. It is designed for ages 7 to 14 and includes a dedicated astronomy section with an orrery exhibit where explainers lead live shows on space. The gallery also features explosive daily science demonstrations. Pre-booking is recommended and tickets start from \u00a317.00.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plan your visit to the Science Museum<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Not every space experience needs a museum. London has several VR arcades with space-themed games, and for kids who want to feel like they are actually in space rather than looking at things that have been, they are worth knowing about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At ChambVR in Wandsworth, kids and adults can take the seat of a starship pilot and fly through space in a fully immersive simulator. The experience uses motion-tracked headsets and is suitable for most ages, though younger children may need a grown-up alongside them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n See ChambVR experiences<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n DNA VR runs Space Station Tiberia, a co-operative mission in which your group must work together to save a stranded space station. It plays well with a group of children and is a good option for slightly older kids who enjoy a challenge. DNA VR has venues in Hammersmith and Battersea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Book DNA VR<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Omescape at Southbank runs multiple galactic-themed VR escape rooms, allowing families to choose their level of challenge. The space-themed options sit alongside other genres, so it is worth checking the current listings before booking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n See Omescape VR experiences<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Bridge Command is a different kind of space experience: an interactive starship simulator in which players take on crew roles on the bridge of a vessel. It occasionally runs dedicated family shows, but the experience is best suited to older children, teenagers and adults who will engage with the detail and complexity involved. Worth bookmarking if you have a teenager with a serious interest in space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Find out about Bridge Command<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Location: <\/strong>Greenwich Park, SE10<\/p>\n\n\n\n How to get there: <\/strong>Cutty Sark DLR or Greenwich rail<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tickets: <\/strong>Adults from \u00a318.00. Children (ages 4 to 15) from \u00a39.00. Children under 4 free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the planetarium is closed until 2028, the Royal Observatory itself remains open and is still one of the most educational space-related visits you can do in London. Families can stand on the Prime Meridian line, explore Flamsteed House and see John Harrison’s marine timekeepers, which helped solve the 18th-century problem of calculating longitude at sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is also an Astronomy Centre with displays on the history of the observatory and the people who worked there. It is less immediately interactive than the Science Museum, but it carries a weight of genuine history that makes it worth the visit, particularly for children who have already developed an interest in astronomy or navigation. Combining it with Astronomers Take Over downstairs at the National Maritime Museum makes for a full day in Greenwich.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Book Royal Observatory tickets<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n A few additional options that are worth keeping on your radar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Natural History Museum in South Kensington (free entry) has a meteorite collection and a piece of Mars on display in its Vault gallery, though space is not its main focus. It works well as an add-on to a Science Museum visit given its proximity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The National Space Centre in Leicester is outside London but is the closest thing the UK has to a purpose-built space museum, with a full-size Blue Streak rocket and an immersive planetarium. It is roughly an hour by train from St Pancras and is worth the journey for families with a serious interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Science Museum is free to enter but requires a pre-booked timed ticket for general admission. Weekend and school holiday slots fill up quickly, so book as far ahead as possible. Wonderlab and IMAX require separate paid tickets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Astronomers Take Over closes on Tuesdays and Fridays. The planetarium shows have very limited capacity (around 37 seats) and are likely to sell out during school holidays. Book in advance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Royal Observatory is open daily. The Peter Harrison Planetarium will not reopen until spring 2028 at the earliest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n VR venues typically require children to be above a minimum age or height; check individual venue requirements before booking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Join thousands of London parents getting the best family activities, events and deals straight to their inbox every week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s free, and you can unsubscribe any time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sign up to the Loopla newsletter<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With the Artemis II crew having just returned from the furthest human journey into space in over fifty years, there has rarely been a better moment to take curious kids to one of London’s space museums. Whether your child wants to stand next to a real spacecraft, watch a live planetarium show or pilot a … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":8974,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_wp_convertkit_post_meta":{"form":"-1","landing_page":"","tag":"0","restrict_content":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,51],"tags":[49],"class_list":["post-8931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-whats-on","category-free-fun-london","tag-featured-homepage-hero"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loopla.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loopla.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loopla.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loopla.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loopla.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8931"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/loopla.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8931\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8984,"href":"https:\/\/loopla.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8931\/revisions\/8984"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loopla.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loopla.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loopla.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loopla.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The Science Museum, South Kensington<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/loopla.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Space-museums-London-1-1.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Space gallery<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Blue Origin New Shepard replica<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Wonderlab<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
VR space experiences in London<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Space](\"https:\/\/loopla.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Space-museums-London-2-1.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nChambVR, Wandsworth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
DNA VR, various locations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Omescape, Southbank<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Bridge Command (older kids and teens)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Royal Observatory Greenwich<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What else is worth knowing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Planning your visit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Get London family ideas every week<\/h3>\n\n\n\n