[1] The museum opened on March 16, 2012,[2] although a pre-launch reception was held a year earlier on December 15 where Vice President Jejomar Binay delivered a speech on behalf of President Benigno Aquino III.

[3] As of 2012, the museum has five main galleries occupying a 4,900-square-meter (53,000 sq ft) exhibit area and spanning two floors.

The galleries each had its own theme namely, atom, life, earth, universe and technology which are linked by features called "Nature’s Webways".

[2][4] With assistance from a firm based in the United States, which did the master plan of the museum, Filipino designers, scientists and fabricators created 90 percent of the museum's exhibits.

The distinction is the first for a Philippine establishment and for a science museum in Asia at the THEA Awards.