Going to space in 2026 costs anywhere from about $8,000 for a few minutes of weightlessness to $100 million for a trip around the Moon, and the cheapest real rocket seat with a published price is Virgin Galactic’s $750,000 ticket. As of October 2026, though, almost nothing is flying: Blue Origin has paused its tourist rockets, Virgin Galactic has pushed its next flight to February 2027, and the first paying orbital seat on the calendar is Axiom’s mission no earlier than January 2027. This guide covers every option a private person can book or reserve, from suborbital hops and balloon rides to orbital stays and lunar flybys.
Some companies publish a price, some publish a deposit, and some say “call us”. We use official figures where they exist, disclosed or reported prices where they do not, and we label our own estimates as such.
| Rank | Option | Price | Status | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Zero-G parabolic flight | $6,700 to $8,850 | Flying (not true space) | Per seat |
| 8 | Zephalto Celeste balloon | About $130,000 to $190,000 | Not flying yet | Pre-sale and later reports |
| 7 | Halo Space stratospheric balloon | From $164,000 | Targeted 2026 | Reported starting fare |
| 6 | EOS-X Space stratospheric balloon | About $165,000 to $220,000 | Not flying yet | Reported 2024 range |
| 5 | Blue Origin New Shepard | No list price, $150,000 deposit | Paused since Jan 2026 | Reservation form |
| 4 | Virgin Galactic suborbital seat | $750,000 | First Delta flight Feb 2027 | Ticket price |
| 3 | Vast Haven-1 or ISS seat | Price on request | 2027 | Reservation by contact |
| 2 | Axiom Space ISS seat | From about $55 million | Ax-5 no earlier than Jan 2027 | Axiom plus NASA fees |
| 1 | Circumlunar trip (Space Adventures) | $100,000,000 | Listed, no date | Per passenger |
9. Zero-G parabolic flight: $6,700 to $8,850
This one is weightlessness, not space. A modified jet flies arcs over the ocean and you float for about 30 seconds at a time, repeated around 15 times. Seats have run from about $6,700 to $8,850 depending on the package, and it is the only item here you can actually do this year, subject to the operator’s schedule, which one 2026 comparison lists as paused for maintenance. It is on the list so you can see how far the price jumps before real space begins.
8. Zephalto Celeste balloon: about $130,000 to $190,000
The French outfit Zephalto sells a six-hour flight for six passengers and two pilots, with a dinner at altitude. Pre-sale tickets in 2023 cost 120,000 euros, about $130,000, and a mid-2025 report put the starting fare at 170,000 euros, about $190,000. Which number applies depends on when you reserved, and the first commercial flight has not been confirmed.
7. Halo Space balloon: from $164,000
Halo Space, a London-based company, aims to start flights in 2026 in a capsule called Aurora, with tickets starting at $164,000. The altitude is 20 to 25 miles. A single report gives that fare, and we found no sign of passengers flying yet, so it sits here as a published intention and not a service.
6. EOS-X Space balloon: about $165,000 to $220,000
Spanish company EOS-X Space bought the assets of the US balloon firm Space Perspective in July 2025, after that firm ran out of money and furloughed staff in early 2025. Space Perspective had sold more than 1,800 tickets at $125,000 for a six-hour, 100,000-foot ride in a pressurised capsule, and none of them flew. EOS-X’s own reported price runs from 150,000 to 200,000 euros. A balloon reaches about 20 miles up, well short of the 62-mile line that counts as space.
We converted the 2024 euro range at current rates, so read the dollar figures as approximate and the flight date as unconfirmed.
5. Blue Origin New Shepard: no list price, $150,000 deposit
Blue Origin never published a fare. Its reservation form asks for a $150,000 deposit, and the only hard price tag in public is the $28 million paid at a 2021 auction for the seat beside its founder on the first crewed flight, which tells you nothing about a normal ticket. Flights lasted about ten minutes and crossed the 62-mile line, and the rocket carried 98 people in total, including six paying passengers on 25 February 2025. The last flight was on 22 January 2026, the 38th New Shepard mission.
On 30 January 2026 the company paused the programme for at least two years to put its money into a lunar lander. We rank it fifth because the deposit is the only figure we can verify, and nobody can currently use it.
4. Virgin Galactic: $750,000
Virgin Galactic sold seats at $450,000 from 2022, lifted them to $600,000 in 2025, and by 2026 was taking reservations at a $750,000 ticket with a $1,000 starting deposit. Its Delta-class ship carries six passengers on a flight of roughly 60 to 90 minutes with a few minutes of weightlessness. The company has told investors the first commercial Delta flight has slipped from late 2026 to February 2027, and it reported only $134,000 of revenue in the June 2026 quarter, mostly access fees from future astronauts.
The price is the one Virgin Galactic is taking reservations at now, reported from several sources, so it can move again before anyone boards.
3. Vast: price on request
Vast is building Haven-1, a small commercial station, and holds a NASA order for a separate private ISS visit, which NASA expects no earlier than summer 2027. The reservation page lists no prices and asks buyers to email for a quote. One unsourced estimate floats $50 million to $80 million a seat, which would put it level with Axiom, though we have no confirmation. Until a number is published, this is the bookable option with the least to check.
2. Axiom Space ISS seat: from about $55 million
Axiom has flown four private crews to the International Space Station since April 2022, the latest in June 2025, and each paying astronaut gets roughly two weeks in orbit. The company quoted about $55 million a seat for a 10-day stay when it first pitched the trip, and NASA bills on top of that. NASA’s published rate card, as reported, charges around $5.2 million per person for astronaut crew time and $4.8 million per mission for integration, plus daily fees for food and supplies.
NASA picked Axiom on 30 January 2026 for the next private mission, Ax-5, targeted for no earlier than January 2027. The crew has not been named, and NASA requires a former astronaut as commander. We estimate all-in cost per seat at $60 million to $70 million, built from the quoted seat price and the posted NASA fees.
1. Circumlunar flight: $100,000,000
The most expensive seat on the market is a loop around the Moon without landing on it. Space Adventures lists a lunar flyby at $100 million per passenger, with no launch date attached. It is the only item here that is a price list and not a flight plan. The previous high-profile attempt, a SpaceX Moon loop bought by a Japanese entrepreneur, was cancelled in June 2024 after years of delays.
The figure rests on the operator’s own listed price, not a completed sale, so treat it as a ceiling that nobody has tested lately.
What changed in 2025 and 2026
- 25 February 2025: Blue Origin flew six paying passengers on New Shepard. Eleven months later it stopped flying tourists.
- Early 2025: Space Perspective collapsed, and EOS-X Space took over its assets in July.
- June 2025: Axiom’s fourth private mission reached the ISS.
- 30 January 2026: NASA picked Axiom for Ax-5 and Vast for its own ISS mission, both for 2027.
- August 2026: Virgin Galactic moved its first Delta flight to February 2027.
What drives these prices
- Altitude is the dividing line. Balloons at 20 miles cost about a fifth of a rocket ride that crosses the 62-mile line, and sit far under an orbital seat.
- Orbit costs about 70 times what a suborbital hop does because you pay for a full launch and days of life support, not minutes in the sky.
- Seats are priced to the buyer’s patience. Virgin Galactic raised its price by two thirds in four years while it kept missing dates.
- Fixed government fees set the floor for station stays. NASA’s rate card adds roughly $10 million before a single sandwich is delivered.
- A deposit is not a price. Blue Origin’s $150,000 holds a place in a queue that is now closed.
FAQ
How much does it cost to go to space in 2026?
A true rocket ride to space with a published price costs $750,000 on Virgin Galactic, an orbital seat on the International Space Station runs from about $55 million, and a circumlunar flyby is listed at $100 million. Balloon rides to the edge of space are priced from about $130,000 to $220,000.
Can you book a trip to space right now?
Not for a flight this year. Blue Origin paused New Shepard in January 2026 for at least two years, Virgin Galactic’s first Delta flight is set for February 2027, and Axiom’s next ISS mission is targeted for January 2027 at the earliest.
How much does a Blue Origin ticket cost?
Blue Origin never published a fare. Its reservation form asked for a $150,000 deposit, and the only public price is the $28 million paid for one seat at a 2021 auction.
How much does a trip to the International Space Station cost?
Axiom quoted about $55 million a seat for a 10-day stay, and NASA charges extra fees for crew time and mission support. We estimate $60 million to $70 million all in.
What is the cheapest way to experience space?
A stratospheric balloon flight is the cheapest way to see the curve of the Earth, at about $130,000 or more once flights begin. A parabolic jet flight for roughly $6,700 to $8,850 gives weightlessness but no view of space.
Is a balloon ride actually space?
No. Balloons reach roughly 20 to 25 miles, while the accepted boundary of space sits at about 62 miles. You see the curvature of the Earth and a black sky but you are still in the atmosphere.
How we put this list together
We ranked every option by published or disclosed per-seat price, using company price lists, deposit terms and official agency fees, with our own estimates labelled where a company gives no number. Prices are approximate, change often and are converted at rates from the year reported.
Keep reading
- Blue Origin’s plan to take paying passengers into space
- 15 reasons you should not buy a private jet
- The world’s most expensive yachts ever built
Last updated: October 2026.
