Cosmosphere

Name

Cosmosphere

Legal name

Cosmosphere

Website

https://cosmo.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Science Education Center and Space Museum

NAICS

Museums (712110)

akta.pro primary industry

Science & Technology Museums (THAJADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Space & Astronomy Programs (EDAMABAE), Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology) (EDAMABAB)

Keywords

• Science education center
• Space museum
• STEAM learning programs
• Artifact restoration services
• Planetarium dome theater

Headquarters

HQ city

Hutchinson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Museum Admissions: Revenue from ticket sales for museum access, interactive exhibits, planetarium shows, dome theater films, and special attractions.
2. Educational Programs: Fees for camps (Mars Academy, STEAM Camp), overnights, field trips, and outreach programs serving schools and youth organizations.
3. Outreach and Live Stream Programs: Fees for traveling educators bringing STEAM activities to schools, and live stream educational sessions.
4. Donations and Grants: Donations from individuals, corporate partners, and grants from organizations like the Dane G. Hansen Foundation and Kansas Department of Transportation.
5. Facility Rentals and Events: Revenue from private event rentals, birthday parties, corporate events, and special event hosting.
6. SpaceWorks Services: Revenue from artifact rental, restoration, replication, and exhibit fabrication services for museums and institutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Cosmosphere operates an international science education center and space museum in Hutchinson, Kansas, providing immersive STEAM learning experiences through museum exhibits, planetarium shows, dome theater films, and overnight/day camps. Its SpaceWorks division offers specialized spacecraft artifact restoration, replication, and exhibit fabrication services to museums, NASA, and film productions worldwide.

Product overview

Cosmosphere is an international science education center and space museum located in Hutchinson, Kansas, offering a platform of interconnected educational attractions and programs. The core experience centers on the Hall of Space Museum housing authentic flown spacecraft and artifacts, complemented by the Carey Digital Dome Theater for immersive documentaries, the Justice Planetarium for live sky shows, and Dr. Goddard's Lab for explosive science demonstrations. Educational extensions include CosmoKids for young learners, and camp programs (Mars Academy and STEAM Camp) featuring the Astralis spacecraft simulator. The SpaceWorks division provides artifact restoration, replication, and rental services. Additional offerings include overnight programs, outreach, live streams, family STEAM events, facility rentals, and membership. The All-Access Mission Pass bundles multiple attractions together.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cosmosphere Camps: Overnight and day camps for youth focusing on STEAM education, astronaut training simulations, and space exploration experiences.
• Justice Planetarium
• Carey Digital Dome Theater
• Dr. Goddard's Lab
• CosmoKids

Products and services

• Hall of Space Museum The main museum featuring authentic artifacts from the U.S. and Soviet space programs, including flown spacecraft such as Apollo 13 Command Module Odyssey, Liberty Bell 7, Gemini X, Vostok, and Voskhod, along with renovated galleries and interactive exhibits.
• Carey Digital Dome Theater A two-story dome theater equipped with a 4K digital projection system that screens documentaries and feature films, offering immersive surround-sound viewing experiences.
• Justice Planetarium A technically advanced planetarium offering live sky shows about constellations, planets, and space exploration topics including Apollo 11, Night Sky Live, Destination Mars, Oasis in Space, Secret Lives of Stars, and Black Holes.
• Dr. Goddard's Lab A live science demonstration experience featuring explosive experiments about the history and physics of rocketry, inspired by Dr. Robert Goddard, father of modern rocketry, with additional chemistry-focused demonstrations.
• CosmoKids An interactive STEAM learning area for children featuring hands-on learning through play, with resources for adults to explain the science behind activities.
• Mars Academy Camp A multi-night residential camp where teams learn about surviving on Mars, building colonies, and competing in settlement missions using the Mission Control Center and Astralis spacecraft simulator.
• STEAM Camp A camp experience featuring simulated space missions, rocket design and launches, robotics programming, drone racing, 3D printing, and engineering challenges like the Apollo 13 Challenge and Rube Goldberg Challenge.
• SpaceWorks A division of Cosmosphere specializing in space artifact restoration, replication, exhibit design/fabrication/installation, and artifact rental, having restored Liberty Bell 7, Apollo 13 Odyssey, and Gemini III, and created props for films including 'Apollo 13' and 'First Man'.
• Outreach Programs STEAM educational activities delivered in schools covering topics like rockets, weather, energy, living in space, solar system, robotics, and lunar landers, with presentations and hands-on activities aligned to NGSS standards.
• Live Stream Programs 45-minute online live-stream activities with classroom support materials, covering topics including Living in Space, Beyond Our Solar System, Dr. Goddard's Lab, Lunar Landers, Space Photography, Weather, Energy, Electricity, Chemistry, and Characteristics of Life.
• All-Access Mission Pass A ticket package providing unlimited access to the Hall of Space Museum, CosmoKids, one Carey Digital Dome Theater documentary, one Justice Planetarium show, one Dr. Goddard's Lab show, and one naviGATOR Flight Simulator ride.

Quantifiable outcome

• Free admission for Kansas school-age children through Sunflower Summer program (July 12 - August 3)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Richardson Bros Construction CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 April 2026Partnering with Cosmosphere to support workforce development in emerging technology sectors as part of the 'Flight Forward: Drone Discovery' drone education initiative.
• Exploration Place (Wichita, KS)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerDiscovery Discount partnership offering $5 discount at the second museum visited (Cosmosphere or Exploration Place) within 30 days, encouraging visitors to experience both attractions.
• Kansas Tourism (Sunflower Summer Program)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership through Sunflower Summer program providing free admission to Kansas Pre-K through 12th-grade students and one adult's admission during July 12 - August 3.
• K-State SalinaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership with Kansas State University Salina for collaborative programs and initiatives.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Museum of Flight: Seattle-based aerospace museum with extensive space and aviation collection plus active K-12 and camp programming. A current SpaceWorks restoration client, directly comparable in scope and audience.
• Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum: NYC-based museum aboard the aircraft carrier Intrepid featuring space artifacts (including Space Shuttle Enterprise), aviation exhibits, and educational programming. Comparable in combining space/STEM education with a major artifact collection.
• Pima Air & Space Museum: Tucson-based aerospace museum with one of the world's largest aircraft and space artifact collections. Comparable scale and mix of static displays, education, and restoration/exhibit work.
• Space Center Houston: Official visitor center of NASA Johnson Space Center, combining space artifact displays, STEM education, and camp programming. Closest direct peer in terms of space museum + education + corporate event mix.
• Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum: Nebraska-based museum focused on strategic aerospace and Cold War-era artifacts. Comparable Midwestern U.S. space/aerospace museum with educational programming and artifact collection.
• Adler Planetarium: Chicago planetarium offering immersive sky shows, space exhibits, and STEAM education. Also a SpaceWorks client; comparable in combining planetarium, exhibits, and school/youth programming.
• Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex: NASA-affiliated space-themed attraction at Cape Canaveral offering museum exhibits, astronaut encounters, and educational programs. The leading U.S. space tourism destination; directly comparable to Cosmosphere's space museum + camp + outreach model.

Emerging players

• Challenger Center: Nonprofit network of Challenger Learning Centers delivering space-themed STEM simulations to K-12 audiences. Overlaps with Cosmosphere's mission-based camp programming and outreach model.

Broad incumbents

• California Science Center: Los Angeles science center housing Space Shuttle Endeavour and broad STEM exhibits. A larger incumbent with similar space exhibit + STEAM education positioning, though with a wider scientific scope.
• Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: The largest U.S. collection of space and aviation artifacts and Cosmosphere's explicit benchmark. Operates as a Smithsonian museum with vastly greater resources; both a peer and the implicit competitor Cosmosphere positions against.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/Cosmosphere
• Facebookfacebook.com/kscosmosphere
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kansas-cosmosphere-and-space-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/the_cosmosphere
• Xx.com/kscosmosphere

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cosmosphere