The museum was founded in 1946 as the National Air and Space Museum, part of the Smithsonian Institution – a group of museums and research centers funded by the United States government. It is the world’s largest repository of civil and military aircraft and space exploration equipment.

After its founding on August 12, 1946, the museum was not large enough to house all of its collection, especially large items like rockets. After World War II, many aircraft were donated to the Smithsonian by the Department of Defense, prompting the organization to consider building an Air Museum to display these aircraft.