National Air and Space Museum's Second Location Showcases Rare Exhibits

The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia offers a larger exhibit space with over 200 historic aircraft and spacecraft.

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

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The National Air and Space Museum's flagship location in Washington, DC is one of the most-visited museums in the US, but the building isn't large enough to display all of the aircraft and spacecraft in its collection. The museum's lesser-known second location, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, offers 340,000 square feet of exhibit space with over 200 historic aircraft and spacecraft on display, including rare and significant pieces from the museum's collection.

Why it matters

The Udvar-Hazy Center allows the National Air and Space Museum to showcase a much larger portion of its extensive collection of aviation and space artifacts, giving visitors a chance to see many rare and one-of-a-kind exhibits that are not on display at the main museum location in DC.

The details

The Udvar-Hazy Center features a wide range of historic aircraft and spacecraft, from the space shuttle Discovery to the Concorde supersonic passenger jet. The museum's public affairs specialist, Holly Williamson, says visitors will see "the first, the last, the only, the last remaining, the most significant" pieces from the museum's collection.

  • The National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center opened in 2003.

The players

National Air and Space Museum

The National Air and Space Museum is one of the most popular museums in the United States, with its flagship location in Washington, DC. The museum has an extensive collection of aircraft, spacecraft, and other aviation and space artifacts.

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is the National Air and Space Museum's lesser-known second location, situated in Chantilly, Virginia. The hangar-like facility offers 340,000 square feet of exhibit space to showcase over 200 historic aircraft and spacecraft.

Holly Williamson

Holly Williamson is the public affairs specialist for the National Air and Space Museum.

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What they’re saying

“What you're going to see are the first, the last, the only, the last remaining, the most significant. So it's an A-plus, as far as the collection.”

— Holly Williamson, Public Affairs Specialist, National Air and Space Museum (Business Insider)

The takeaway

The National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia offers visitors a unique opportunity to see rare and significant aviation and space artifacts that are not on display at the main museum location in Washington, DC, showcasing the depth and breadth of the museum's extensive collection.