— The only spacecraft to carry astronauts to the moon and today be on display outside of the United States is now back on exhibit.

The Science Museum in London has returned to public view NASA's Apollo 10 command module as part of the opening of its new, aptly-titled gallery "Space." The capsule, which since 1978 has been on loan from the Smithsonian, went off display in June as it was moved into the refreshed and expanded exhibition.

"Whether you're fascinated by the engineering behind space exploration, inspired by stories of space pioneers or simply curious about the planets, Space invites you to delve into humanity's greatest adventure," said Ian Blatchford, director and chief executive of the Science Museum Group, in a statement. "I have no doubt that the wonders of space we showcase in our new gallery will inspire and thrill a new generation of visitors."

The Space gallery replaces "Exploring Space," which was open for nearly 40 years. In addition to the command module, Space brings together historic items that highlight the Space Age and the future of space exploration. The hall is the first and only place in the world where the public can view an Apollo spacecraft — which splashed down from the moon — side by side with a Soyuz descent module, one of the modern means of returning astronauts from low Earth orbit.

Tim Peake, Britain's first professional astronaut with the European Space Agency (ESA), landed aboard the Soyuz, TMA-19M, after his 186-day expedition on the International Space Station in 2016.

The Space gallery also includes a three-billion-year-old moon rock brought back to Earth by the Apollo 15 mission (on loan from NASA) and the Sokol pressure suit that the first Briton in space, Helen Sharman, wore to launch and land from the former Russian space station Mir. In addition, there are new technologies from the UK space sector, some of them displayed for the first time.

"It's a fantastic new exhibit, covers things like Tim Peake's capsule and returning to him to Earth," said Matt Archer, director of launch at the UK Space Agency, in a social media video post. "There are also some fantastic innovations here, from Magdrive and Space Forge and Spire, to show the things we're currently investing in here in the UK to develop future exploration technologies, but also covering high-tech innovations in manufacturing in space."

"It's fantastic to see so much British hardware here being exhibited in the Science Museum that [the public will] get the opportunity to enjoy and see what is possible in the UK space sector," he said.

Magdrive is a prototype electric propulsion technology; Space Forge is exhibiting its Pridwen heat shield designed to protect materials manufactured in orbit as they are delivered to Earth; and Spire is represented by its LEMUR2 nanosatellite, which is used to provide weather data.

Visitors to Space can also see an example of an RL-10 like the rocket engines that have helped launch spacecraft to every planet in the solar system; the full-size testing model of BepiColombo, the on-going ESA/JAXA mission to Mercury; and the radio headset used by Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong to communicate with Mission Control.

As a backdrop to the artifacts is a newly-produced wall-length mural of a scene from Apollo 17 showing Harrison Schmitt kneeling while setting up a science experiment, as well as the Apollo lunar roving vehicle and the lunar module in the distance. The 1972 photo was processed for the 2022 book, "Apollo Remastered" by Andy Saunders and may be the largest photograph of the moon on Earth.

Located on the ground floor of the Science Museum, the Space gallery is free (with free admission tickets) for visitors to enter and explore. To complement the opening, the museum is offering a family-friendly Space Show on weekends and school holidays now through Jan. 5, 2026 and select "Astronights" sleepovers for children and their parent or guardian.

The nearby IMAX: The Ronson Theatre is also hosting a season of space movies, including "Apollo 13," "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Interstellar" and the shot-in-orbit documentary "A Beautiful Planet" in 3D.