Cité de l'Espace

The Cité de l'espace is a scientific discovery centre focused on spaceflight. It was opened in June 1997 and is located on the eastern outskirts of Toulouse, France. As of 2012, there had been more than 4 million visitors. 

Exhibits and installations

One can visit full-scale models of the Ariane 5 rocket (55 metres or 180 feet), Mir, and Soyuz modules. The original planetarium has 140 seats and presents shows throughout the day. Cité de l'espace also has numerous exhibits, often interactive; for example, a mock-up of a control room near the model of Ariane 5, allows visitors to prepare the launching of a rocket, help with its flight and then place a satellite in orbit. Terr@dome (a terrestrial half-sphere 25 metres or 82 feet in diameter) presents the history of space from the Big-bang to the solar system. A building named Astralia, which opened in 2005, includes: a 280-seat planetarium, called the Stellarium, equipped with a hemispherical screen 600 square metres (6,458 sq ft) in area; a 300-seat IMAX cinema, which shows the film Hubble 3D (previously Space Station 3D, a 3D film made on board the International Space Station); and conference rooms.

Address: Avenue Jean Gonord, 31500 Toulouse, France
Opened: June 27, 1997
Visitors per annum: 200,000 (2004)
Phone: +33 5 67 22 23 24
Theme: Spaceflight