Three years after approving plans to expand the Columbia Memorial Space Center in Discovery Park, the City of Downey has completed the environmental review process for the project.

The Downey Space Shuttle Exhibit & Education Building Project, planned next door to the space center at 12400 Columbia Way, would consist of a new two-story, approximately 29,000-square-foot museum featuring event space for up to 300 guests, staff offices, classrooms, and exhibit space.

Rendering of the Downey Space Shuttle Exhibit & Education Building ProjectLPA

One of the key draws to the space would be the Inspiration, a full-size Space Shuttle engineering mock-up, which is the largest item in the museum collection. Other items include Mars rover models and space-flown Dragon capsules.

LPA was commissioned to design the facility in 2021. Other elements of the project would include a 1,560-square-foot building for educational programming, an entry plaza, an outdoor classroom, and multiple courtyards, lawns, and pavilions.

Site plan for Downey Space Shuttle Exhibit & Education Building ProjectLPA

Construction is expected to occur over an approximately 18-month period.

The project site is one small portion of the former NASA Downey facility, which was used for research and engineering starting in the 1920s on programs such as the Apollo capsules, and the Space Shuttle orbiters.

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