Smithsonian’s Enterprise Model to be Removed During Major Renovations
The Enterprise filming model at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Star Trek fans travelling to Washington, D.C. to see the original filming model of the U.S.S. Enterprise, better check your calendars: the Enterprise will be removed from display on October 7th. It could be as late as 2026 before it returns.
A piece from StarTrek.com, written by the Smithsonian’s Space History Department Curator, describes that the model and its exhibit are being removed into storage while the National Air and Space Museum is being renovated. Because of the complex display that both shows off the ship and protects it, it is not easily relocated and will have to remain out of sight until the renovations are complete.
Quoting the piece, “The logistics of the Museum’s long renovation project are complex. The Museum will never fully close. Instead, sections of the building are being walled off and the artifacts either removed or protected in place. In the meantime, the staff are busily preparing the content, layout, and artifacts for the reimagined galleries. When the entire project is completed (in time for the building’s 50th birthday in 2026), the revitalized and transformed building will house new exhibits as well as old favorites. The Enterprise studio model is scheduled to return to its place of honor in the south lobby of the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall.”
Once again, the Enterprise exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. will be removed on October 7th, and may not return until sometime in 2026.
This article was written for the podcast Daily Star Trek News.
Alison Pitt is the writer, producer, and host of Daily Star Trek News, on the Roddenberry Podcast Network. A veteran Star Trek podcaster, she started her career on the weekly show Priority One: A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast in 2015. She has appeared on panels at Star Trek Las Vegas, WonderCon, and San Diego Comic Con.
