August 14, 2026

— For the fourth time in history, NASA's Kennedy Space Center will host a public air show from on its property in Florida.

The space agency on Friday (Aug. 14) announced "Max Power," a two-day expo of "American air and space innovation." Held at Space Florida's Launch and Landing Facility (formerly NASA's Shuttle Launch Facility) in collaboration with Air Dot Show, UP.Summit, Delaware North and Purpose Entertainment, the Nov. 7-8 ticketed event will showcase the latest air and spacecraft being flown by NASA in a dynamic public show.

"The American people have invested in NASA programs and waited patiently to see the world-changing missions like Artemis II. They deserve to know, see what we are building and showcase the aerospace capabilities the talent of NASA has helped pioneer. That's why it is my great privilege to announce today Max Power," said Jared Isaacman, NASA's Administrator, speaking at the Launch and Landing Facility on Friday.

"Max Power will feature space hardware, NASA and [Department of Defense] aircraft, interactive mission simulators and moon rovers. You're going to have Apollo astronauts there, Artemis astronauts will be there, behind-the-scenes experiences, one hell of an air show and maybe even a rocket launch or two," said Isaacman.

Max Power at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Click to enlarge video in new window. (NASA)

A commercial astronaut and experienced jet pilot who as a billionaire entrepreneur owns a fleet of F-5 aircraft, Isaacman said he plans to fly in the show, too.

Max Power will be divided into three separately-ticketed events, connected by courtesy buses transporting attendees between the venues. The air show component will feature NASA aircraft, aerial demonstrations by multiple branches of the military and an aerobatic formation performance by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.

The expo will showcase technology demos, historic and current NASA aircraft, commercial aviation displays and next-generation air mobility. Lastly, a speaker series will feature NASA experts, including astronauts from the agency's past and current moon landing programs.

Current astronauts Raja Chari and Deniz Burnham took part in Friday's announcement, sitting in a two-seat NASA T-38 jet, as a backdrop to the podium.

Isaacman said that the air show would not interfere with the roll out of the SLS (Space Launch System) to the launch pad for the Artemis III mission. The dates of Max Power may overlap with when NASA is ready to run though a fueled, test run of launch-day activities (a "wet dress rehearsal").

The Artemis III crew will demo docking and rendezvous techniques using mock Blue Origin and SpaceX lunar landers in low Earth orbit no earlier than late 2027.

"You're going to have the people here, the Artemis astronauts who have flown their missions, who are getting ready to fly on the next missions and then you're going to have the Apollo astronauts here who we're learning so much from," said Isaacman. "You'll [also] see landers from the CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) program, you'll see a lot of hardware that has applicability to the early Artemis missions."

The Max Power air show will be held in Florida less than a week after Isaacman and his F-5 flight team are scheduled to perform at the Wings Over Houston Airshow at Ellington Field near NASA's Johnson Space Center on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. That show will also feature NASA aircraft displays and a performance by the Thunderbirds.

The first NASA air show was a component of the U.S. Bicentennial Exposition on Science and Technology held at Kennedy Space Center in 1976. The aerial salute featured the U.S. Navy Blue Angels flying over the "home of the space program."

Three decades later, the 2007 World Space Expo included the first performance over Kennedy by the Thunderbirds, as well an F-22 Raptor and Navy F-18 Super Hornet. The public watched the airshow from the NASA Causeway.

A year later, the Blue Angels returned for the Space & Air Show at Kennedy in November 2008. The two-day event included special exhibits at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, including the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation's inaugural Astronaut Autograph and Memorabilia Show that brought together more than 20 Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and space shuttle crew members.

In the years since, both the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels, as well as Isaacman's F-5 jets have flown over Kennedy and other NASA facilities.