Trump Unveils Capeweek: World's Biggest Airshow Coming to Kennedy Space Center

President Donald Trump unveiled Capeweek on Friday, November 6, 2026, a new annual American aerospace expo and airshow on the former space shuttle runway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Trump promised it will be the biggest airshow in the world, a direct American rival to the Paris Air Show and Farnborough.

The Capeweek announcement came in Trump's first formal address since Republicans lost both chambers of Congress in the November 3 midterms, delivered at the UP.Summit technology showcase in Florida. The expo debuts March 27 to April 2, 2028, developed by NASA, the state of Florida and Space Florida, with organisers hoping for more than 500,000 visitors a year.

Key Points

• President Donald Trump unveiled Capeweek on Friday, November 6, 2026, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center during the UP.Summit technology showcase.
• Capeweek is a new annual American aerospace expo and airshow on the former space shuttle runway, debuting March 27 to April 2, 2028.
• Trump pledged it will be "the biggest airshow in the world", a US rival to the Paris Air Show and Farnborough, with organisers hoping for more than 500,000 visitors a year.
• About 400 industry leaders, investors and officials attended the VIP-only UP.Summit, with a SpaceX Falcon 9 booster and a Blue Origin New Glenn upper stage on display.
• The speech kicked off NASA's MAX POWER weekend, November 6 to 8, headlined by the Air Force Thunderbirds, with an Artemis gala attended by three Artemis II astronauts.

What Happened

Trump spoke inside the Reusable Launch Vehicle Hangar at Kennedy Space Center, a 50,000-square-foot building on Florida's Space Coast. Around 400 industry leaders, investors and officials attended the VIP-only UP.Summit, where a SpaceX Falcon 9 first-stage booster and a Blue Origin New Glenn upper stage stood on display. Speakers came from Blue Origin, SpaceX, Stoke Space, Cowboy Space, CesiumAstro and Astranis. Trump's Florida trip in full.

It was Trump's first formal address since the midterm defeat, and he used it to look forward. He cited the Artemis II mission around the moon, praised the latest jobs report, and said of Iran that "if he hadn't intervened there would be no Israel". On the losses, he told the audience: "If I were on the ballot, we would've won." NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said Capeweek will gather "builders, operators, entrepreneurs, engineers, pilots, investors, explorers" and the public.

Background: A Runway Looking for a Second Act

The Shuttle Landing Facility was built for the space shuttle programme and, after the final flight in 2011, became one of the world's most famous runways without a regular tenant. Space Florida took over its management in 2015, and it has since hosted test flights and commercial spaceplane landings, but never a signature public event.

Capeweek changes that. By anchoring a major annual expo to the runway, NASA and Florida are betting the Space Coast's identity as a launch hub can extend into a showcase for the industry it serves. The same week, NASA unveiled the X-70 Fractal crewed experimental jet at the UP.Summit. NASA's X-70 Fractal unveiling.

Capeweek: A Rival to Paris and Farnborough

The comparison Trump invited is ambitious. Farnborough, held in July, drew 141,580 visitors from 136 countries and produced $84.7 billion in announced deals, while the Paris Air Show remains the industry's largest gathering. Capeweek's target of more than 500,000 visitors a year would put it in a different category, closer to a public festival than a trade event.

That scale is the point. Unlike the European shows, built around manufacturers and order books, Capeweek is being sold as both an industry expo and a public spectacle, with flying displays on a runway that once welcomed returning spacecraft. The debut dates give organisers more than a year to recruit exhibitors and build a flying programme.

Reactions and Quotes

Trump made the ambition plain, pledging Capeweek will be "the biggest airshow in the world". The promise was aimed at the European shows that have dominated the aerospace calendar for decades, and at an American audience being told the industry's centre of gravity is shifting home.

Isaacman framed it as a gathering of the whole industry, saying it will bring together "builders, operators, entrepreneurs, engineers, pilots, investors, explorers" and the public. His emphasis on the public matches the visitor target: an event ordinary Americans attend, not just one the industry watches.

Why It Matters

Capeweek matters because it turns a presidential promise into a dated event on the aerospace calendar. If it reaches anything like its visitor target, it would give the United States a homegrown rival to Paris and Farnborough, and the Space Coast an annual showcase to match its role as the country's busiest launch site.

It also matters politically. The announcement came in Trump's first formal address since the midterms, in the one state where Republicans held the line, letting him present a forward-looking, jobs-and-industry story while his party argues about the defeat. For NASA, a public airshow on its own runway builds support for Artemis II and the missions after it.

What Happens Next

The MAX POWER weekend runs through Sunday, November 8, with the Thunderbirds headlining the flying displays and the Artemis gala continuing at the Saturn V Center. Organisers will now begin the long build-up to Capeweek's debut, with exhibitor recruitment and the flying programme taking shape over the coming year.

The first test will be whether the aerospace industry commits. The European shows draw crowds on order announcements and manufacturer displays, and Capeweek will need both. The second test is the public: more than 500,000 visitors a year would make it one of the largest airshows ever held.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Capeweek?
A new annual American aerospace expo and airshow unveiled by President Donald Trump on November 6, 2026, on the former space shuttle runway at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

When does Capeweek debut?
March 27 to April 2, 2028. Organisers hope it will grow to more than 500,000 visitors a year.

Why is it being compared to Paris and Farnborough?
Trump pledged it will be "the biggest airshow in the world". Farnborough drew 141,580 visitors from 136 countries and $84.7 billion in deals in July.

Where was it announced?
At the UP.Summit technology showcase at Kennedy Space Center, in Trump's first formal address since the November 3 midterms.

What is the MAX POWER weekend?
NASA's November 6 to 8 weekend of events at Kennedy Space Center, headlined by the Air Force Thunderbirds, with an Artemis programme gala at the Saturn V Center.