General Information

Yes, we have over 400 spaces available onsite, full details can be found on our how to find us page. Please note, all vehicles are left at the owners risk and the National Space Centre cannot be held responsible for any damage caused by other car park users.

We do not offer overnight stays in our car park.

We strongly suggest buying online in advance to guarantee entry, especially during peak periods where we do have to turn people away who turn up without a booking.

If you upgraded to the FREE Annual Pass pre-booking is currently essential on our ANNUAL PASS BOOKING PAGE (please read the details on that page before booking, as terms and conditions apply).

Your Annual Pass can be used on any visit to the National Space Centre with the exception of 5 Premium Event days and any out of hours events, such as Space Lates or Film Clubs.

Pre-booking of visits using the Annual Pass is currently ESSENTIAL and must be made a minimum of three days in advance on the ANNUAL PASS BOOKING PAGE. 

Your Annual Pass is valid for a full 12 months from the date of purchase.

Upon purchase you will be given the Terms and Conditions of the FREE Annual Pass upgrade, that will include any and all restrictions.

Please note - The Annual Pass upgrade is available only to families and general visitors. Registered childminders, nursery groups etc. are exempt from the Annual Pass scheme but can purchase tickets for their groups at the discounted Education group price. Group supervisors enter for free (One supervisor per five paid for children).

This is in line with all education and group visits, including school bookings, Home Education visits, nursery groups and SEN groups.

Currently pre-booking using your Annual Pass is ESSENTIAL. Please use our calendar page to check we are open prior to booking using our (remember, the Annual Pass does NOT include evening or Premium events)  ANNUAL PASS BOOKING PAGE. 

Disabled visitors are able to purchase concession tickets and we offer a free ticket to a Personal Assistant/Carer where one is needed to access the Centre.  Please book a Personal Assistant/Carer ticket when booking a disabled concession, and bring proof of PIP/DLA or the Access Card with you to claim the free Personal Assistant/Carer ticket on the day. 

Please note - the free Personal Assistant/Carer ticket is only available when buying a disabled concession ticket, it is not available with any other ticket. You can select a maximum of ONE Personal Assistant/Carer ticket per disabled concession ticket on the website, but if you need multiple Personal Assistant/Carers per disabled concession please bring proof upon arrival and a member of the ticketing team can add them on the day. 

Yes, you can buy Annual Pass gift vouchers, Shop and Cafe gift vouchers for you to send as presents. You can purchase these through our website, and they will be emailed to your chosen recipient. 

As a charity we do not offer discounting in any way.

What we offer all visitors is a FREE Annual Pass upgrade.  This ensures we support all members of the community, whether they be students, employed, unemployed, single parent families or those with significant financial restrictions.

I hope you understand our policy on this, it is not against any one group, we try to keep ticket yield even and equal, to offer the best price to all.

The National Space Centre will accept requests for charity donations.

However, as we receive over 3,000 requests for donations every year, and as a not-for-profit charity we can only accommodate a limited number of applications.

If you would like to contact us regarding charity requests, please do so in writing (no email requests) ensuring you include the following:

Your name and a contact email address
The name of the charity/organisation
The charity number (essential)
Date of fundraising event

Requests should be made at least two months prior to the event.

Please allow up to 3 weeks to for us to respond to your request.

Please note we are unable to support requests that are unsolicited or don’t clearly specify the details mentioned above or where a home address is given for a school or society with an official address.

Due to the charitable nature of our organisation we are also unable to support charitable requests where a commercial organisation is profiting from a sponsored event.

The National Space Centre offers Home Education families the same ticketing opportunities as our school visitors:

  • A visit Monday-Friday during school term time (cannot be booked during school holiday theme weeks
  • £11.75 + VAT per child and £11.75 + VAT per adult (cannot be upgraded to the FREE Annual Pass).
  • Must be booked in advance (minimum 3 working days) through our bookings team – [email protected] (please include date you wish to visit, number of child and adult tickets and a phone number for our team to use to take payment in advance).

Alternatively you can consider one of our Home Education days, which include additional workshops, talks and shows, our Space Cadets ONLINE club, or purchasing a standard day ticket, which can be upgraded to a FREE Annual Pass.

The National Space Centre is a charity organisation setup with the mission of communicating space and interests in science. As such, any filming carried out at the centre must be relevant to our purpose and function as a centre, and be of benefit to the wider community.

It is not our policy to allow open filming to take place that is un-related and not aligned to the interests of the National Space Centre.

Therefore requests from community groups, students, amateur filmmakers or other special interest groups are likely to be declined if no wider benefit is perceived.

The suitability of any filming is left at the discretion of the National Space Centre to decide.

If you are an amateur filmmaker or special interest group, it is possible to privately hire the centre at a cost. These costs will cover the overheads of opening the National Space Centre out of hours and security and technical staff to be on duty.

As a not-for-profit charity the National Space Centre cannot support this activity without covering these costs. Should you wish to look at privately hiring the centre, you can contact our venue hire team on 0116 261 0261.

The National Space Centre is a fantastic building, filled with a wonderful and very visual collection and galleries.

Except where noted, photography/videography for personal use is allowed (in fact it is encouraged – share it with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram). Tripods and external lights may not be used. The use of flash may be restricted in some areas for conservation purposes.

Objects in the collections may be photographed by visitors for private study, educational and non-commercial research purposes only. Any photographs or videos taken in the Centre, or of the exterior of the building, are for personal use only and may not be published. Commercial use of any kind is not permitted (including use on monetised platforms).

The National Space Centre is a family attraction with an extensive collection of national and international significance. Conservation and preservation of these artefacts is of critical importance, therefore, smoking within the building is strictly prohibited. This includes the use of “vape” devices.

As a Space themed Science and Education Centre, visiting school groups access our Education Programmes and the exhibition during most term time weekdays. If you are planning a visit between Monday and Friday during term time and you would like to avoid our busier days, we can help you to find out which days are likely to be quieter. You can contact us by email via: [email protected] The administrator is available to assist during normal office hours (Monday to Friday, between 9am and 5pm).

The National Space Centre believes in #spaceforeveryone, and it is important that we support those who need additional support to access the premises. We are pleased therefore to welcome assistance dogs to the National Space Centre.


However, we would point out that our commitment to all also covers all visitors to the Centre.

  1. Our venue can become very busy with eager children with their families, or as part of an organised educational visit. There may also be loud or unfamiliar noises in the Centre. As such it may be difficult for a assistance animal to feel comfortable. If you are bringing an assistance animal, you may wish to consider talking to us in the first instance about quieter periods for a visit, or even to look for Accessible Afternoons or Quiet Space days.
  2. If you are registered with ADUK please do bring your passport with you. It is not a requirement of entry, but it will allow our team to know that the animal is trained and insured to deal with environments such as our own. This is our duty of care to all visitors, and the working animal.


If you have an Animal with you who becomes distressed, or is of danger to another member of public, we reserve the right to ask you to remove them.

The National Space Centre is a charity and as such does not offer discounting. What we offer all visitors is an automatic FREE Annual Pass upgrade. This ensures we support all members of the community, whether they be students, employed, unemployed, single parent families or those with significant financial restrictions. This offer is in place to offer the best price to all.

Official National Space Centre Photographers will be at many of our events and will have identification. Images and videos taken may be used on the National Space Centre website, our social media and in print where you may be identifiable. Please speak to a member of staff if you do not wish to be photographed

No, despite our Security team being on duty to help people park on site we cannot guarantee spaces if you arrive after 11:00 on busy days. 

We accept the TOTUM card by those in full time education for proof of student status. 

We don’t currently have a dedicated quiet space, and at busy times we cannot guarantee that a separate room will be available. If you need a quieter space during your visit, for example for a sensory break, prayer or personal needs, please speak to the Duty Manager. We will always do our best to find a suitable space where possible.

Yes. We have three manual wheelchairs available to borrow from the main entrance, free of charge. These are offered on a first come, first served basis.

Wheelchairs can also be reserved in advance by emailing [email protected] at least two working days before your visit.

Yes. Sensory backpacks, including ear defenders, are available to borrow from the main ticketing desk. These are free to use and subject to availability.
Gift Aid is a UK Government scheme that allows registered charities to claim an additional 25p for every £1 you donate, at no extra cost to you.
Yes. Our Changing Places facility is located in LIVE Space. If you need any help finding or accessing it, please speak to a member of our Space Crew.
Yes. We have a range of downloadable trails to support visits from Early Years through to Key Stage 4. Please ask our Bookings team about the available resources when making your booking.
No. The National Space Centre is a self-guided attraction, so you can explore at your own pace. Space Crew are located throughout the galleries and will be happy to help or answer questions during your visit.

Book your return visit through our website as usual. Once you arrive, you can book additional Planetarium shows at the main ticketing desk.

Additional shows cannot be booked in advance and are subject to availability.

Yes. If you are bringing a pre-booked group to the National Space Centre, the coach driver can access the Centre on the day of the visit.

No. Our car park uses Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), so there is nothing to display if you have paid for parking online.

You can also pay when you arrive using the card payment machines in the car park or at the main ticketing desk.

When you arrive, check the main screen in the centre of the galleries for the day’s free talks and tabletop activities. This is a great way to plan your visit.

Start at the bottom of the Rocket Tower and work your way up to experience the story in chronological order, from early rocket science through to the Apollo missions.

Around the Planetarium, you can explore our Into Space, The Universe, Our Solar System and Home Planet galleries.

Your first visit also includes a timed Planetarium show. If you have an Annual Pass, additional shows can be purchased on the day, subject to availability. Please arrive at the Planetarium doors a few minutes before your show begins.

Tetrastar Spaceport missions usually run between 11:00 and 15:00 at weekends and during school holidays. During midweek term time, missions take place in the afternoon. Please ask our Space Crew for the day’s times.

And if you need a break, you’ll find our café downstairs and our shop near the exit.

Your first-visit ticket includes access to all our galleries and one fulldome Planetarium show of your choice.

A Tetrastar Spaceport mission is also included at no additional charge, subject to availability. Our Public Programmes team also runs free talks and tabletop activities throughout the day. Check the main screen in the centre of the galleries when you arrive for that day’s programme.

We accept a valid TOTUM card for student concession tickets.

For a free Carer ticket, we accept evidence of DLA/PIP or a valid Access Card.

Yes. One Planetarium show is included with your first visit. Additional shows can be purchased on the day for £5 per person, per show, subject to availability.

Everyone explores differently, but we recommend allowing around 3–4 hours for your visit, including your 30-minute fulldome Planetarium show.

You may want to stay longer to explore the galleries, join our talks and tabletop activities or take part in a Tetrastar Spaceport mission.

We open at 10:00 every day.

During midweek term time, we close at 16:00. At weekends and during school holidays, we close at 17:00.

On Accessible Afternoons, the Centre remains open until 18:00. These sessions have been developed to support visitors with additional and sensory needs.

Our café and Rocket Tower may close slightly earlier than the rest of the Centre, so please listen for announcements during your visit.

Yes. You are welcome to bring a water bottle or other sealed drink with you. Free water fountains are available in LIVE Space and next to the Boosters Café seating area.

For everyone’s safety, please do not carry unsealed hot drinks around the Centre.

If this is your first visit, your arrival time is separate from the time of your Planetarium show. You can arrive at any time after we open at 10:00 and explore the Centre before your show.

Our busiest arrival period is usually between 11:00 and 13:00, so the main ticketing area is generally quieter before or after these times.

Yes. You can leave and return during the same day. Please keep your ticket handy, either on your phone or as a printed receipt, and use the main entrance when you return.
No. We don’t have lockers and are unable to store large bags or luggage, so please only bring items you are comfortable carrying with you during your visit.
We don’t have a dedicated secure bike storage facility. Bike racks are available in the main car park, close to the main access ramp, where you can lock your bike during your visit.

How can we help?