Science Museum Group venues launch first space exhibitions

The countdown has begun to the world-(and galactic)-premiere of Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos, a thrilling exhibition that will invite visitors to explore our wonderous Solar System when it launches at the Science and Industry Museum (Manchester) on 13 February 2026 and at the Science Museum (London) in March 2027, with tickets now available for both venues. 

Visitors will be propelled into the Solar System where mystery, intrigue, and rocket-loads of silly and surprising science await.

They will venture through a series of cosmic zones, walking in the shoes of astronauts, exploring the life-giving energy of the Sun, marveling at mysterious moons, and discovering far-off weird worlds. Left teetering on the edge of our Solar System, explorers will then find themselves staring into the dark depths of space, on the lookout for any extraterrestrial life that could be staring back.

Whether its sniffing astronauts’ smelly socks, dancing on an alien disco planet, feeling the tremors from a mysterious moonquake or launching a space rocket, this adventure will engage all the senses during a rip-roaring trip around the Solar System.

Fresh off the back of the new BBC Children’s and Education TV Show, Horrible Science, the exhibition will encourage visitors to ‘do science the horrible way’ and join both scientists and supervillains to unveil the secrets of space.

It will be the first time Horrible Science has been brought to life as a major exhibition and will see familiar characters from the series accompany visitors on their mission to find out more about our fascinating Solar System through interactive experiments, playful challenges and sensory exploration.

This includes Dr Big Brain, the galaxy’s greatest evil genius, who will be on the hunt for help with his diabolical plans to conquer the Solar System. Will visitors use their new science skills to make sense of the Solar System, or cause cosmic chaos by joining forces with a supervillain? That’s for them to decide.

The exhibition is being developed by the Science and Industry Museum to skyrocket families into an out-of-this-world adventure through space and science.

It is being created in collaboration with producers of the brand-new Horrible Science TV show, BBC Children’s and Education, and Lion Television, an All3Media company, together with Scholastic, publishers of the much-loved Horrible Science book series by Nick Arnold and illustrated by Tony De Saulles.

As well as tonnes of other-worldly fun, the exhibition will feature unmissable objects from the Science Museum Group’s world-class space collection.

Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos will open at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester on 13 February 2026 for an 11-month run before landing at the Science Museum in London from 18 March 2027 – 27 February 2028.

Tickets to see the exhibition at both museums are now available to book online. At the Science and Industry Museum, they are priced at £10, with family discount available and under-threes going free. The exhibition is being supported by Major Sponsor, CGI, one of the world’s largest independent technology and business consulting services firms, as part of their mission to inspire young people in STEM.

Andrea Lathrop, Associate Curator of Exhibitions at the Science and Industry Museum, said: “This exhibition will be wild, silly and fun but underpinned by intriguing real-life science that will entertain and inspire the next generation of space explorers to make even more giant leaps for humankind.

“This is set to be our most out-of-this-world experience yet. Humans have always been fascinated by space and its deep connections to our lives here on Earth but, despite the amazing advances in studying and understanding space, much of it remains a mystery. Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos will spark curiosity in the space explorers of the future to solve more mysteries about our Solar System.”

Libby Jackson, Head of Space at the Science Museum, said: “We are thrilled to be bringing this playful exhibition to both the Science and Industry Museum and the Science Museum, allowing us to share cosmic treasures from the Science Museum Group Collection across the country. This fun exhibition will show how space is deeply connected to our lives here on Earth, as our young visitors and their families embark on a brilliantly silly journey across our Solar System to discover more of its wonders.”

Patricia Hidalgo, Director of BBC Children’s and Education, said: “Horrible Science perfectly demonstrates our ambition to reach children wherever they are; at home on BBC iPlayer and Roblox, in classrooms via BBC Bitesize, and now bought to life in collaboration with the Science Museum Group.

It’s a brand that entertains and educates seamlessly, sparking curiosity and inspiring young minds. We’re proud to partner with Lion Television, Scholastic, and the Science Museum Group to bring this experience to families in Manchester and London.”

Simon Welton, Director of Entertainment at Lion Television, said: “We’re delighted that Horrible Science is coming to life in conjunction with the Science Museum Group, giving audiences a chance to immerse themselves in the wonderfully whacky and horrible world of science. We’re sure that Dr Big Brain has absolutely nothing evil planned at all as he takes us all into space…”

Elizabeth Scoggins, Publisher of Non-fiction, Brands and Licensing at Scholastic, said: “Nick Arnold and Tony De Saulles’ books have delighted children and families for 30 years. We are thrilled to see Horrible Science’s unique brand of fact-packed entertainment and horribly engaging humour turned into this fantastic exhibition which is sure to amaze all ages.”   

John Hanley, Senior Vice President of Secure Mission Critical Solutions, CGI in the UK, said: “At CGI, we firmly believe that curiosity about space can spark a lifelong interest in science, technology and the world around us. Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos captures that perfectly, transforming complex ideas into fun, hands-on experiences that inspire young people to ask the ‘fantastical questions’ which in turn allows them to imagine their own futures in STEM. From satellites to software, our work in the space sector shows how digital innovation helps us understand our planet and beyond, and we’re proud to support the Science Museum Group in igniting that same sense of wonder in the next generation.”

Ahead of Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos landing in February, there is still chance to get stuck into super-sized science and brilliant biology in the Science and Industry Museum’s current blockbuster exhibition, Operation Ouch: Brains, Bogies and You, running until Sunday 4 January.