In the historical center of Vyatka, at 160 Preobrazhenskaya Street, a large semi-stone wing with mezzanines was built by merchants Shuravins 160 years ago, in 1858. This building was rented out, and from 1873 to 1878, it was home to the family of the great Russian scientist and founder of astronautics Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky.

During the Soviet era, the Tukharynov family lived here for 30 years. Yuri Vladimirovich Tukharynov, a general and the first commander of the 40th Army, led the introduction of Soviet troops into Afghanistan in 1979 and made a significant contribution to the construction of Soviet military space facilities in Central Asia. In 1968, a memorial plaque was installed on the building in honor of K.E. Tsiolkovsky's stay in Vyatka, and in 2007, a plaque in honor of Y.V. Tukharynov.

On April 10, 1988, the K.E. Tsiolkovsky Museum of Aviation and Cosmonautics opened in this historic building. The opening was attended by Viktor Petrovich Savinykh, a Soviet cosmonaut and twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Alexander Alexandrovich Serebrov, a Soviet cosmonaut and Hero of the Soviet Union, as well as the great-grandchildren and granddaughter of K.E. Tsiolkovsky. In 1989, the first Youth Tsiolkovsky Readings were held here, which later became a nationwide forum for schoolchildren and students. In 2007, a bust of V.P. Savinykh was installed on the museum grounds.

In December 2014, at the initiative of V.P. Savinykh, construction began on a second building for the museum, a modern complex with new exhibition halls and a digital planetarium. On March 13, 2018, the Children's Space Center was ceremoniously opened.

The museum's collection, founded in 1988, numbered 12,057 items by early 2020. It includes samples of space technology, relics, documents, photographs, audio and video recordings, postage stamps, and works of art on the theme of space. Most of the exhibits are donated to the collections.

The museum includes six halls: the "Space Exploration" hall, the "Manned Cosmonautics" hall, the "Viktor Petrovich Savinykh, Soviet Cosmonaut, Twice Hero of the Soviet Union" hall, and the halls of the historic building, which house permanent exhibitions about the life and work of K.E. Tsiolkovsky, the contributions of Kirov residents to space exploration, and the interactive hall "Astrophysical Phenomena."

In the "Space Exploration" hall, globes of the Moon and Mars, minerals, components of spacecraft, solar panels, models of rockets and satellites are presented. Video materials about the planets of the Solar System and the prospects for space colonization are shown here.

The "Manned Cosmonautics" hall tells about the lives of cosmonauts on the International Space Station, showcasing suits, personal belongings, instruments, and samples of space food.

The "Viktor Petrovich Savinykh" hall is dedicated to his childhood, education, and space flights in 1981, 1985, and 1988, as well as his teaching and public activities.

In the "Astrophysical Phenomena" hall, interactive exhibits demonstrate physical laws and natural phenomena. Here, visitors can create clouds and tornadoes, generate electrical energy, and participate in a science show.

The Children's Space Center named after V.P. Savinykh is equipped with a modern planetarium with a 12-meter diameter dome, designed for 50 viewers. Lectures and screenings of educational films for children and adults take place here.