New Shepard is a fully reusable suborbital rocket system developed by Blue Origin, designed to take passengers on short trips to the edge of space. Since its first launch in 2015, it has carried 98 people beyond the Kármán line, including William Shatner, who became the oldest person to travel to space when he flew in 2021.
Through our ambitious new Ages of Invention: The Serum Institute Gallery we will create the most significant display of objects from the history of science anywhere in the world. Visitors will be able to journey through 250 years of innovation and explore the scientific ideas shaping our lives today. Thanks to Mr Poonawalla's generous support, the architectural expertise of Lawson Ward Studio and the remarkable stories of scientific achievements featured in the new gallery, we will ignite the curiosity of the future scientists and innovators needed to meet the challenges facing the world.
I was a bit uncertain as to what to exactly expect. Surely the spectacular actual spaceships that were on display before would not be binned? They have not! With a few relatively small tweaks, features the same items as Exploring Space did when it closed. But it's also worth pointing out that Exploring Space changed considerably over its lifespan, with items like Tim Peake's space capsule and a spacesuit belonging to the first Brit in space, Helen Sharman, being added way after its 1986 opening.
