The official America250 time capsule is scheduled to open in 2276.
The capsule is tied to the 250th anniversary of American independence and is intended to connect people in 2026 with the nation’s 500th anniversary. Since 2276 is 250 years after 2026, the opening is planned for the United States’ quincentennial year.
The project follows a long tradition of using anniversaries to preserve contemporary objects and messages for future generations. Its contents represent government, states, territories, and elements of American civic and cultural life at the time of the semiquincentennial.
This date is distinct from 2076, which is the expected tricentennial year and the opening date for some older bicentennial-era capsules. The America250 capsule looks farther ahead, to the nation’s 500th anniversary in 2276.