Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex suggests travelers “watch this space” in 2023. With an exciting roster of new experiences and events, the visitor complex is ready for liftoff in the new year.
Introducing the S.T.E.A.M. Team
Younger space enthusiasts will be educated (and entertained!) by the new S.T.E.A.M. Team at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Created to give guests the chance to learn more about science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics through fun experiments, the Team will be featured in three scheduled shows daily as well as with carts throughout the visitor complex. The Team’s main performance, It’s a Matter of Fact, takes place inside the Universe Theater at 12 p.m., 1:15 p.m., and 4:15 p.m. ET* and is included with admission. During the lively show, guests will learn what matter is in three states – solid, liquid and gas – and see experiments using liquid nitrogen through engaging performances. In between shows, the S.T.E.A.M. Team can be found with their interactive carts throughout the visitor complex, performing experiments and creating experiences like “Tricky Science,” “The Vacuum of Space” and “The Center of Gravity” for guests to watch and learn. The S.T.E.A.M. Team will also be available for private shows for school groups in 2023.
The Peanuts Gang Will Land in the Universe Theater
Beginning spring 2023, the visitor complex will begin featuring All Systems Are Go – an original, live, immersive educational entertainment experience – in the transformed Universe Theater. It will feature beloved Peanuts characters, including Snoopy, Woodstock, Charlie and Sally Brown, Linus, Lucy, Franklin and Schroeder. The 20-minute experience, included with admission and offered daily, will feature the cherished Peanuts cartoon personalities appearing as four to five-foot-tall articulated characters operated by puppeteers. The characters will narrate the iconic history of NASA, the Artemis missions and future plans in an educational and enlightening way.
Launches
On the heels of a record-setting year for rocket launches from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station – more than 50 in 2022 – Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is gearing up for more than 80 forecasted for 2023. With so many launches scheduled, chances are excellent that a trip to the visitor complex could coincide with the bucket-list experience of seeing and feeling a rocket lift off. When possible, special viewing packages that include admission, catered meals, live commentary from a space expert and commemorative gifts will be offered.
Junior Space Explorer Pass
Kids five and under can enjoy free admission to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in 2023 with the Junior Space Explorer Pass. Available only to Florida residents, the pass grants kids complimentary admission to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex through December 31, 2023. Parents are required to register their kids, who must be five or younger at time of redemption. Registration is only available through the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex website and must be completed by February 19, 2023. This offer is not available for registration at the front entrance. Once activated, the pass is valid for admission through December 31, 2023 with blackout dates applying. Parents/guardians will be required to show a valid form of ID (a copy of a certified birth certificate or travel passport) to verify the child’s age prior to entry. School IDs or children security IDs will not be accepted. Parents/guardians should have a photo ID with proof of their Florida residential address.
Teaching Teachers with a Special Offer for Educators
Broadening the availability of its Educator Study Pass program, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is now offering complimentary admission to all teachers throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. To receive the Educator Study Pass, active teachers are required to bring one of the following items to Will Call, located at the entrance of the visitor complex:
- An active teaching certificate from the United States, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands
- A badge with a photo that shows the title Teacher or Educator
- Letter on school letterhead, dated and signed by the principal listing the name(s) of the teachers, stating they are an educator at the school
Atlantis 10th anniversary
June 29, 2023 will mark the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Space Shuttle Atlantis® attraction at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, home to the iconic orbiter that flew 33 missions. The Space Shuttle Atlantis attraction takes guests on a journey that mirrors the orbiter’s time in space and return to Earth. Guests greet the space-flown shuttle on the top floor, seeing her suspended in space as only astronauts saw her: with the payload bay doors open and Canadarm fully extended. Also featured are more than 60 interactive and immersive exhibits, including the Shuttle Launch Experience as well as Forever Remembered, which pays homage to the 14 crewmembers of Challenger and Columbia.
*Please check the daily schedule for show times.