How to Book a Space Tourism Flight in 2026

Booking a space tourism flight is not like buying an airline ticket. There is no checkout page. The process involves an application, a medical evaluation, a substantial deposit, a liability waiver, and in many cases months of preparation — all before you ever reach the launch pad. This guide walks through exactly what is involved, operator by operator, so you can decide whether you are ready to start the process.

Which operators are taking reservations right now?

The first thing to understand is that the booking landscape in mid-2026 is more restricted than many prospective passengers expect. Not every operator is actively selling seats.

Virgin Galactic has reopened ticket sales for its next-generation Delta-class spaceplane at $750,000 per seat, with commercial flights targeted for the fourth quarter of 2026. If you are considering a suborbital flight, Virgin Galactic is currently the only suborbital operator accepting reservations.

Axiom Space is actively selling private missions to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX Crew Dragon, at approximately $55 million per seat. Axiom operates on a direct-inquiry basis — there is no public waitlist form. You contact their commercial spaceflight team, discuss your timeline and budget, and go through a qualification process before a mission slot is offered.

SpaceX does not sell individual seats to the public. Orbital missions on Crew Dragon are chartered as complete capsule missions, typically through partners such as Axiom Space or for organizations that fund a dedicated private flight. If you want to fly on SpaceX hardware, the practical route is through Axiom.

For a live view of every operator’s current pricing and status, see the space tourism price index.

Step 1: Choose your experience tier

Before approaching any operator, get clear on which tier of experience you are actually seeking. The three tiers differ enormously in cost, preparation time, and what you actually experience.

The suborbital tier is the most accessible: a day or two of training, a six-figure price, and a flight that lasts about as long as a short domestic hop — though only a few minutes of that are in space. The orbital tier is a different commitment entirely: months of preparation, eight-figure pricing, and a stay on the International Space Station. There is no middle ground between them right now.

Step 2: Budget for costs beyond the ticket price

The headline seat price is not the total cost. Before you commit, account for these additional expenses:

• Travel to the launch site. Spaceport America in New Mexico serves Virgin Galactic. Private Axiom missions launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Getting there, staying nearby during training, and returning home adds meaningful cost — especially for orbital missions where training lasts months.
• Accommodation during training. Suborbital training runs one to two days on-site, so this is minor. Orbital training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and partner facilities in Europe and Japan can run for months; factor in rental housing and living expenses.
• Time off work. A suborbital booking typically requires a few days away. An orbital mission means months of your life, potentially a year when you include recovery. This is often the binding constraint for working executives.
• Medical pre-screening. Some operators charge for pre-screening medical assessments. Budget a few thousand dollars for the evaluation itself if it is not bundled into the reservation process.
• Insurance. Space tourism policies exist but are specialized and priced accordingly — more on this in the FAQ below.

Step 3: Contact or register with your chosen operator

The reservation process differs between operators in important ways.

For Virgin Galactic: You register through Virgin Galactic’s website and pay a reservation deposit to hold your place on the waitlist. You will sign a reservation agreement that outlines pricing, timeline expectations, and the company’s liability framework. Flight dates are not assigned at registration; they are communicated weeks to months in advance once Delta-class commercial service begins.

For Axiom Space: Begin with a direct inquiry to their commercial spaceflight team. Axiom assesses each candidate individually — financial qualification, timeline fit, and mission availability all factor in. Once discussions advance, you will be matched to a specific mission, begin the medical evaluation process, and enter a formal reservation agreement.

Across all operators: expect to sign a federal “informed consent” statement as part of your reservation. Under US law (the Commercial Space Launch Act), operators are required to inform you of the known and unknown risks of spaceflight, and you must acknowledge them in writing. This is not a routine disclaimer — read it carefully.

Step 4: Pass the medical screening

Every operator requires a medical evaluation, but the bar is more permissive than most people expect — particularly for suborbital flight.

The FAA has not established mandatory medical standards for space tourism passengers (a congressional “learning period” moratorium on such regulations is in effect through January 2028). Each operator sets its own criteria, with the goal of confirming that your body can safely tolerate the specific stresses of flight: primarily the G-forces of ascent and re-entry and the brief shift to weightlessness.

Suborbital flight has been flown by people across a wide range of ages and health profiles. William Shatner flew at 90 and Wally Funk at 82 on Blue Origin; a wheelchair user flew on NS-37 in late 2025. Many common, controlled conditions are not automatically disqualifying. What operators are looking for are acute or uncontrolled conditions that could become dangerous under G-loading in a setting where emergency medical care is impossible: serious uncontrolled cardiovascular disease, recent cardiac surgery, and certain respiratory conditions are the categories that typically raise concerns.

Orbital medical screening is more rigorous: the multi-day ISS environment, EVA risk, and the extended duration of the mission mean operators need a higher level of confidence in your baseline health. For a detailed breakdown of what the screening involves and how to prepare, see our guide to preparing for a space flight.

Step 5: Pay your deposit and review the reservation agreement

Once you have passed initial medical screening (or been pre-qualified), you will pay a reservation deposit and sign a formal agreement. Several things to understand about this stage:

Deposits are substantial and typically non-refundable after the cancellation window. For suborbital operators, the deposit is a meaningful fraction of the total fare. Read the cancellation terms before signing — specifically what happens if your circumstances change, the operator’s timeline slips significantly, or the company itself changes ownership.

The liability waiver is real. Spaceflight carries genuine risk. The informed consent framework means you cannot later sue the operator for risks you were warned about. Some operators also ask that your immediate family members sign a separate acknowledgment. This is standard practice in the industry and not a reason to walk away, but it is a reason to understand exactly what you are signing.

Pricing locks may or may not exist. Confirm in writing whether your seat price is fixed at the rate quoted at signing or subject to adjustment before flight.

Step 6: Complete pre-flight training

With your reservation confirmed and medical clearance in hand, you will proceed to training. The preparation required varies enormously by tier.

Suborbital: Training is typically one to two days on-site at the operator’s facility. You will cover the flight sequence, G-force sensations (often practiced in a centrifuge or simulator), emergency procedures, and how to move in the cabin. There is no physical fitness test to pass and no academic curriculum. The goal is calm, orientated enjoyment of the few minutes of weightlessness — not astronaut qualification.

Orbital: Axiom Space missions involve several months of training, much of it at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and partner sites in Europe. You will learn ISS systems, emergency response, how to operate in microgravity for extended periods, and how to live and work as part of a crew. This preparation is necessary because, unlike a suborbital passenger, you will function as part of a mission for one to two weeks far from any possibility of rescue.

Our preparation guide covers both tiers in detail, including what to do in the months before training begins.

On launch day

Once training is complete, the wait for your flight date begins. Operators typically notify passengers weeks to months in advance of an assigned date. From that point, you will have pre-flight health checks, a final mission briefing, and suit-up before reaching the launch vehicle.

The experience from that moment forward (the roar of the engine, the push of G-forces, the sudden silence of space, and the view of Earth below) is described in detail in our guide to what space actually feels like.

Questions to ask before you sign anything

Before committing to a deposit, get clear answers from the operator on these points:

• What is the full refund policy? Under what conditions can you cancel and receive a full or partial refund? What triggers forfeiture of your deposit?
• What happens if my health changes before flight? If a new diagnosis disqualifies you medically, does the operator offer a deferral, credit, or refund?
• How far in advance will I know my flight date? For operators that are not yet flying, what is the process for being assigned a date once commercial service begins?
• What exactly is included in the price? Confirm whether training, transportation to the site, meals, suit, and post-flight certification are bundled or billed separately.
• What insurance do you recommend, and do you offer it? Some operators have relationships with specialist insurers; others expect you to arrange cover independently.
• What are the informed consent terms in plain language? Ask a lawyer to review the agreement before you sign, particularly the liability waiver.