Cosmonautics and Aviation Center

The Cosmonautics and Aviation Center opened in a renovated pavilion at VDNKh in 2018. The large-scale exhibition is devoted to the history of achievements of the national space industry, and walking through it reminds you of the long space journey, from the first idea about conquering the Universe to future space exploration projects. The basis of the center’s exhibition is an impressive archive of documentary evidence of space conquest: 120 samples of equipment alone, and more than 2,000 different documents, including photos and videos. The exhibition space consists of three parts.

KB-1. Space Boulevard has full-scale exhibits and full-size mock-ups of spacecraft. The most impressive one is a life-sized model of the Mir orbital station, weighing over 30 tonnes. Other exhibits include the automatic Diamond orbital station, RD-170, one of the most powerful rocket engines in the world, the Soyuz descent vehicle, the N-1 booster, the GLONASS-K spacecraft, the Express-1000 spacecraft, and much more.

KB-2. Constructor Department explains research in medicine, biology and astronomy in the space sphere. KB-3. Spaceport of the Future shows modern space exploration and the development of technology, and intergalactic predictions of futuristic and science fiction writers. Here you can try out game simulators and visit the 5D Sphere cinema, located under the center’s cupola.

There are educational activities for children and teenagers: with the help of interactive exhibits, visitors can learn about the history and development of the rocket and space, aviation and defense industries of Russia.

Photo: VDNKh