By the Cosmosphere
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Cosmosphere is pleased to announce that it has received a flight-proven Merlin rocket engine donated to the Museum by its manufacturer, SpaceX.
Nine Merlin engines power SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Falcon 9 is the world’s first orbital class, reusable rocket designed for the safe and reliable transport of people and payloads into Earth orbit and beyond. The Merlin engine received by the Cosmosphere helped power the launch of the Koreasat-5A mission on October 30, 2017, which lifted off from the historic Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the same pad that supported many of the Apollo missions.
“The Cosmosphere is grateful to receive a flown Merlin engine from SpaceX,” said Jim Remar, Cosmosphere president and CEO. “The inclusion of the engine in our museum reaffirms the fact that the Cosmosphere houses one of the greatest collections of space exploration hardware.”
The Merlin engine will be displayed in the Cosmosphere’s new rocket gallery, which is set to open in late 2024.
About the Cosmosphere
The Cosmosphere International SciEd Center & Space Museum is a Smithsonian Affiliate. Located at 1100 North Plum in Hutchinson, KS, its collection includes U.S. space artifacts second only to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, and the largest collection of Russian space artifacts outside of Moscow. This unique collection allows the Cosmosphere to tell the story of the Space Race better than any museum in the world while offering fully immersive education experiences that meet Next Generation Science Standards. The Cosmosphere also features the Carey Digital Dome Theater, offering daily documentary showings, a digital Planetarium, Dr. Goddard’s Lab, where visitors experience live science demonstrations, and CosmoKids, an interactive STEAM area for children accompanied by an adult.
