Exploring Outer Space
With its passion for flying machines and its taste for taking on challenges, it was a natural step for Toulouse to move from the air into outer space.
France is Europe’s leading player in space, and Toulouse, already an expert in technological and industrial know-how in the aviation sector, has moved into rocket and satellite construction.
The decentralisation of CNES activities to Toulouse and the creation of the Isae-Supaéro engineering school, which trained astronauts Thomas Pesquet and Sophie Adenot, are further endorsements of Toulouse’s “European vocation” for the Space industry.
And it is from Toulouse that military space operations will be conducted, with the creation of the Space Command, which is due to become operational in 2025.
Come and explore Space here in Toulouse!
The Cité de I’espace is a scientific cultural centre dedicated to the discovery of outer space and astronomy. The exhibitions and activities on offer take you right to the heart of space missions and the challenges facing the world today and into the future. Designed in collaboration with CNES, Météo-France and the European space agencies, it offers a close-up view of the real world… which is often much more surprising than science fiction!
Embark on a journey to the heart of the solar system, explore the universe and the stars
Follow the ISS space missions in real time in the Newsroom. At the Weather Centre, you can observe the activity of the atmosphere and understand how the climate is studied and how weather forecasts are produced using satellite observations. The weather studio is available for you to create your own weather report!
In the gardens, you can see life-size spacecraft: the Soyuz capsule, the Apollo lunar module, the Chang’e 5 lunar rover, the XMM-Newton space telescope and the gigantic Ariane 5 rocket, which stands 53 metres high. You can step inside the MIR station and find out about the life of the astronauts on board and the research carried out in this facility, the forerunner of today’s International Space Station.
Total immersion with the IMAX 3D cinema, which takes you into the depths of the solar system to encounter asteroids, and the planetarium, which reveals all the secrets of the solar system.
At the Martian Field, you can step onto the Red Planet and watch the Perseverance and Zhurong rovers carry out their exploration missions in search of traces of life on Mars.
New
LuneXplorer
LuneXplorer offers you the chance to experience a real mission to the Moon and to feel the acceleration phases of take-off and landing like a real astronaut.
