Governor Newsom attended the opening of the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center at Exposition Park in Los Angeles, which expands the California Science Center with 200,000 square feet of new space. The centerpiece is Space Shuttle Endeavour, displayed in vertical launch configuration with its external tank and solid rocket boosters. The installation is described as the world's first and only authentic display of a space shuttle in launch position.
Endeavour was the last space shuttle built and completed 25 missions over its operational life. First launched in 1992, the shuttle made several flights to construct the International Space Station, serviced the Hubble Space Telescope, and supported Earth and space science research. Its final mission was in 2011. NASA selected the California Science Center as Endeavour's permanent home to highlight California's aerospace heritage. Every NASA space shuttle was manufactured and assembled in Southern California.
The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center was built through a public-private partnership with investments from the Newsom administration and the Legislature. The California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (IBank) financed construction through tax-exempt bond issuances: $82 million in 2006 for the Howard F. Ahmanson Building at the center, and additional bonds of $145 million in 2021 and $62 million in 2025 that helped fund the new Space Shuttle installation.