space travel tickets

New Shepard is a fully reusable rocket launching a new generation of astronauts.

Launch to space on a rocket

Named for Alan Shepard, the first U.S. astronaut, New Shepard launches from the high West Texas desert. On your 11-minute flight, you'll travel over 3X the speed of sound to pass the Kármán Line at 100 km (62 mi), float weightless for several minutes, and witness life-changing views of Earth before descending gently under parachutes.

A fully reusable booster

New Shepard is 100% reusable and fully autonomous. The booster and capsule are designed to launch more than 25 times. The high-performing engine runs clean with water vapor as the only exhaust, and no carbon emissions.

The Capsule

See Earth from your own epic window seat

With room for six astronauts, the spacious and pressurized cabin is climate-controlled for your comfort. Every passenger gets their own window seat for unprecedented views of Earth. The windows comprise over one third of the capsule's surface area.

Flight Training

Fully train for flight in just two days

While onsite you'll learn everything you need for a safe and life-changing space flight. You and your crew will meet the rocket up close, experience missions in the capsule simulator, and learn about safety and zero-g protocols for your weightless journey. 

Your journey begins at Launch Site One

Nestled in the Guadalupe Mountains, two hours east of El Paso, Launch Site One sits on the historic Figure 2 Ranch near Van Horn, Texas. You and your crew will stay onsite at the Astronaut Village. Spectacular sunrises, sunsets, and stargazing abound. This is where your dreams of reaching space will become a reality.

Commitment to Safety

22 successful flights, 22 safe landings

Blue Origin has been flight testing the New Shepard rocket and its triple-redundant safety systems since 2012. The program has had 22 successful consecutive missions including three successful capsule escape tests, demonstrating the crew escape system can activate safely in any phase of flight.

What Astronauts Say

Hear what it's like from our astronauts

New Shepard has launched both the oldest and youngest people ever to go to space, William Shatner and Oliver Daemen. Hear from Oliver as he recalls his life changing experience aboard New Shepard. 

It's your time. Join the new generation of astronauts.

© 2007 - 2023 Blue Origin, All Rights Reserved.

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You Can Now Book a Ticket to Outer Space

Are you ready to make a spaceflight reservation.

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The VSS “Imagine” is the first SpaceShip III, set to carry space tourists.

Courtesy of Virgin Galactic

It’s one small step for Virgin Galactic . . . and one giant check to write for humankind. As of February 16, spaceflight is back on sale: Today Virgin Galactic reopened online registration for its first commercial flights beyond the Earth’s atmosphere—90-minute, four-passenger journeys that mark the beginning of citizen space tourism.

A limited number of reservations are available for these historic trips, slated to start in late 2022, and a limited number of intrepid travelers will be able to afford the $450,000 ticket . Bookings began as far back as 2014, when high-profile passengers —the Brad Pitts and Lady Gagas of the world—reserved a seat in space for $250,000 apiece. Following successful test flights last summer with Virgin Group founder and billionaire Sir Richard Branson onboard, Virgin Galactic resumed reservations in August with a “purposeful range of product offerings,” CEO Michael Colglazier said in a statement.

“For the private astronaut flights, our products will include a single seat, multi-seat couples, a families and friends package, and a full-flight buyout,” he said. “Prices for this next phase of private astronaut sales will begin at $450,000 per seat. Microgravity research and professional astronaut training flights remain priced at $600,000 on a per seat equivalent basis.”

Given that there isn’t, say, a Kayak for spaceflights yet, all of this begins on the virgingalactic.com website. Click “I want to make a spaceflight reservation now”—which is a scary/exhilarating first step unto itself—so Virgin Galactic receives your application and adds you to the waiting list. (Note: I didn’t go so far as to apply, since I don’t want to be on the hook for a half-mil, but I did fill out the form to learn more about any to-be-determined, way -in-the-future flights. Because why not?!)

By securing a reservation, you also become a Future Astronaut, something akin to Virgin Galactic’s loyalty program of like-minded “pioneers” who have also registered. The company expects more than 700 Future Astronauts to fly, while also receiving access to Virgin Galactic training, tech, and tours. Curiosity-seekers can opt to stay on terra firma and simply learn more about events and experiences, STEM programs and scholarships, and merch (naturally), as well as geek out over space news with fellow amateur and professional scientists. And so, a community is born.

After the first fully crewed spaceflights took off in July 2021—Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity with Branson on July 11, and competitor Blue Origin’s New Shepherd , with founder Jeff Bezos onboard , nine days later—a private space race was officially on. Still, the pursuit of innovation and exploration isn’t without its costs; we don’t know much yet about the environmental toll of space tourism.

What we do know, however, is a little about the experience. Follow along on virgingalactic.com and you learn the following:

Aeronautical engineer Sirisha Bandla was among the gobsmacked passengers on the VSS “Unity” 22 flight.

Aboard a winged spaceship attached to a mothership, Virgin Galactic astronauts will climb to 50,000 feet—about 20,000 feet higher than the average commercial flight—at which point the pilots will call “3, 2, 1, release” and jettison the mothership. (There’s a metaphor about motherhood somewhere in there.) Rockets flare, and the spaceship takes off for suborbit at speeds of up to 2,600 miles per hour, or about three and a half times the speed of sound.

After a one-minute burst, the rockets will go off and passengers will experience what they came all this way for: pure, magical weightlessness in microgravity and views of Earth from 17 windows. For a hospitality company like Virgin Group—Branson’s empire of airlines, hotels, cruises, and now, spaceships—it’s the epitome of a #roomwithaview. But obviously, this trip is so much more than a pretty view. “You can just stop . And look. And soak it in,” says Beth Moses, a Virgin Galactic astronaut and chief astronaut instructor, in a testimonial. “You do get a connection to the home planet . . . on a really solid, spiritual, fundamental level that just sticks with you.”

Despite how life changing that sounds, if you find it hard to commit this week (or you don’t want to sell all your worldy possessions for a ticket), don’t worry: Blue Origin is taking reservations for 2022, 2023–2024, and “2025 and beyond .”

>>Next: Omaze and Virgin Galactic Give Away Seats on a Flight to Space

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The Future of Space Tourism Is Now. Well, Not Quite.

From zero-pressure balloon trips to astronaut boot camps, reservations for getting off the planet — or pretending to — are skyrocketing. The prices, however, are still out of this world.

By Debra Kamin

Ilida Alvarez has dreamed of traveling to space since she was a child. But Ms. Alvarez, a legal-mediation firm owner, is afraid of flying, and she isn’t a billionaire — two facts that she was sure, until just a few weeks ago, would keep her fantasy as out of reach as the stars. She was wrong.

Ms. Alvarez, 46, and her husband, Rafael Landestoy, recently booked a flight on a 10-person pressurized capsule that — attached to a massive helium-filled balloon — will gently float to 100,000 feet while passengers sip champagne and recline in ergonomic chairs. The reservation required a $500 deposit; the flight itself will cost $50,000 and last six to 12 hours.

“I feel like it was tailor-made for the chickens like me who don’t want to get on a rocket,” said Ms. Alvarez, whose flight, organized by a company called World View , is scheduled to depart from the Grand Canyon in 2024.

Less than a year after Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson kicked off a commercial space race by blasting into the upper atmosphere within weeks of each other last summer, the global space tourism market is skyrocketing, with dozens of companies now offering reservations for everything from zero-pressure balloon trips to astronaut boot camps and simulated zero-gravity flights. But don’t don your spacesuit just yet. While the financial services company UBS estimates the space travel market will be worth $3 billion by 2030, the Federal Aviation Administration has yet to approve most out-of-this-world trips, and construction has not started on the first space hotel. And while access and options — not to mention launchpads — are burgeoning, space tourism remains astronomically expensive for most.

First, what counts as space travel?

Sixty miles (about 100 kilometers) above our heads lies the Kármán line, the widely accepted aeronautical boundary of the earth’s atmosphere. It’s the boundary used by the Féderátion Aéronautique Internationale, which certifies and controls global astronautical records. But many organizations in the United States, including the F.A.A. and NASA, define everything above 50 miles to be space.

Much of the attention has been focused on a trio of billionaire-led rocket companies: Mr. Bezos’ Blue Origin , whose passengers have included William Shatner; Mr. Branson’s Virgin Galactic , where tickets for a suborbital spaceflight start at $450,000; and Elon Musk’s SpaceX , which in September launched an all-civilian spaceflight, with no trained astronauts on board. Mr. Branson’s inaugural Virgin Galactic flight in 2021 reached about 53 miles, while Blue Origin flies above the 62-mile mark. Both are eclipsed by SpaceX, whose rockets charge far deeper in to the cosmos, reaching more than 120 miles above Earth.

Balloons, like those operated by World View, don’t go nearly as high. But even at their maximum altitude of 18 or 19 miles, operators say they float high enough to show travelers the curvature of the planet, and give them a chance to experience the overview effect — an intense perspective shift that many astronauts say kicks in when you view Earth from above.

Now, how to get there …

Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, which are both licensed for passenger space travel by the F.A.A., are open for ticket sales. (Blue Origin remains mum on pricing.) Both companies currently have hundreds or even thousands of earthlings on their wait lists for a whirl to the edge of space. SpaceX charges tens of millions of dollars for its further-reaching flights and is building a new facility in Texas that is currently under F.A.A. review.

Craig Curran is a major space enthusiast — he’s held a reserved seat on a Virgin Galactic flight since 2011 — and the owner of Deprez Travel in Rochester, N.Y. The travel agency has a special space travel arm, Galactic Experiences by Deprez , through which Mr. Curran sells everything from rocket launch tickets to astronaut training.

Sales in the space tourism space, Mr. Curran acknowledges, “are reasonably difficult to make,” and mostly come from peer-to-peer networking. “You can imagine that people who spend $450,000 to go to space probably operate in circles that are not the same as yours and mine,” he said.

Some of Mr. Curran’s most popular offerings include flights where you can experience the same stomach-dropping feeling of zero gravity that astronauts feel in space, which he arranges for clients via chartered, specialized Boeing 727s that are flown in parabolic arcs to mimic being in space. Operators including Zero G also offer the service; the cost is around $8,200.

You can almost count the number of completed space tourist launches on one hand — Blue Origin has had four; SpaceX, two. Virgin Galactic, meanwhile, on Thursday announced the launch of its commercial passenger service, previously scheduled for late 2022, was delayed until early 2023. Many of those on waiting lists are biding their time before blastoff by signing up for training. Axiom Space, which contracts with SpaceX, currently offers NASA-partnered training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center. Virgin Galactic, which already offers a “customized Future Astronaut Readiness program” at its Spaceport America facility in New Mexico, is also partnering with NASA to build a training program for private astronauts.

Would-be space tourists should not expect the rigor that NASA astronauts face. Training for Virgin Galactic’s three-hour trips is included in the cost of a ticket and lasts a handful of days; it includes pilot briefings and being “fitted for your bespoke Under Armour spacesuit and boots,” according to its website.

Not ready for a rocket? Balloon rides offer a less hair-raising celestial experience.

“We go to space at 12 miles an hour, which means that it’s very smooth and very gentle. You’re not rocketing away from earth,” said Jane Poynter, a co-founder and co-chief executive of Space Perspective , which is readying its own touristic balloon spaceship, Spaceship Neptune. If all goes according to plan, voyages are scheduled to begin departing from Florida in 2024, at a cost of $125,000 per person. That’s a fraction of the price tag for Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, but still more than double the average annual salary of an American worker.

Neither Space Perspective nor World View has the required approval yet from the F.A.A. to operate flights.

Unique implications

Whether a capsule or a rocket is your transport, the travel insurance company battleface launched a civilian space insurance plan in late 2021, a direct response, said chief executive Sasha Gainullin, to an increase in space tourism interest and infrastructure. Benefits include accidental death and permanent disablement in space and are valid for spaceflights on operators like SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, as well as on stratospheric balloon rides. They’ve had many inquiries, Mr. Gainullin said, but no purchases just yet.

“Right now it’s such high-net-worth individuals who are traveling to space, so they probably don’t need insurance,” he said. “But for quote-unquote regular travelers, I think we’ll see some takeups soon.”

And as the industry grows, so perhaps will space travel’s impact on the environment. Not only do rocket launches have immense carbon footprints, even some stratospheric balloon flights have potentially significant implications: World View’s balloons are powered by thousands of cubic meters of helium, which is a limited resource . But Ted Parson, a professor of environmental law at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that space travel’s environmental impact is still dwarfed by civil aviation. And because space travel is ultra-niche, he believes it’s likely to stay that way.

“Despite extensive projections, space tourism is likely to remain a tiny fraction of commercial space exploration,” he said. “It reminds me of tourism on Mt. Everest. It’s the indulgence of very rich people seeking a transcendent, once-in-a-lifetime experience, and the local environmental burden is intense.”

Stay a while?

In the future, space enthusiasts insist, travelers won’t be traveling to space just for the ride. They’ll want to stay a while. Orbital Assembly Corporation, a manufacturing company whose goal is to colonize space, is currently building the world’s first space hotels — two ring-shaped properties that will orbit Earth, called Pioneer Station and Voyager Station. The company, quite optimistically, projects an opening date of 2025 for Pioneer Station, with a capacity of 28 guests. The design for the larger Voyager Station , which they say will open in 2027, promises villas and suites, as well as a gym, restaurant and bar. Both provide the ultimate luxury: simulated gravity. Axiom Space , a space infrastructure company, is currently building the world’s first private space station; plans include Philippe Starck-designed accommodations for travelers to spend the night.

Joshua Bush, chief executive of travel agency Avenue Two Travel , has sold a handful of seats on upcoming Virgin Galactic flights to customers. The market for space travel (and the sky-high prices that come with it), he believes, will evolve much like civilian air travel did.

“In the beginning of the 20th century, only very affluent people could afford to fly,” he said. “Just as we have Spirit and Southwest Airlines today, there will be some sort of equivalent of that in space travel, too. Hopefully within my lifetime.”

52 Places for a Changed World

The 2022 list highlights places around the globe where travelers can be part of the solution.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook . And sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to receive expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places for a Changed World for 2022.

What’s Up in Space and Astronomy

Keep track of things going on in our solar system and all around the universe..

Never miss an eclipse, a meteor shower, a rocket launch or any other 2024 event  that’s out of this world with  our space and astronomy calendar .

Scientists may have discovered a major flaw in their understanding of dark energy, a mysterious cosmic force . That could be good news for the fate of the universe.

A new set of computer simulations, which take into account the effects of stars moving past our solar system, has effectively made it harder to predict Earth’s future and reconstruct its past.

Dante Lauretta, the planetary scientist who led the OSIRIS-REx mission to retrieve a handful of space dust , discusses his next final frontier.

A nova named T Coronae Borealis lit up the night about 80 years ago. Astronomers say it’s expected to put on another show  in the coming months.

Is Pluto a planet? And what is a planet, anyway? Test your knowledge here .

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• Programs Educational Programs at KSC
• Accessibility Information

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex℠ offers a variety of ticket options and add-on enhancements to create the best experience for your next visit! 

1-Day Admission Ticket

Included with Admission

• Gateway™: The Deep Space Launch Complex featuring Spaceport KSC
• Space Shuttle Atlantis® and the Shuttle Launch Experience®
• Kennedy Space Center Bus Tour
• Apollo/Saturn V Center
• Heroes and Legends featuring the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame®
• Astronaut Encounter

Planet Play

• Rocket Garden guided tours
• Journey to Mars
• 3D Space Films
• Character Appearances
• Other scheduled presentations and films

Not Included with Admission

The following experiences are add-on enhancements and are not included with daily admission.

• Chat with an Astronaut
• Special Interest Tours (extended bus tours)
• Astronaut Training Experience®
• Astronaut Training Experience Training Stages

A 1-Day Admission Ticket is valid ONLY for the day selected during the ticket purchase process.

This ticket does not include parking.

2-Day Admission Ticket

A 2-Day Admission Ticket is valid beginning on the day selected during the ticket purchase process. Both admissions must be used within 6 months of that selected date.

Senior 1-Day Admission Ticket

Seniors age 55+ experience special savings on 1-day admission to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

Tickets must be purchased at the ticket kiosks or at Will Call upon arrival.

Senior 2-day admission ticket.

Seniors age 55+ experience even more savings on 2-day admission to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

Military 1-Day Admission Ticket

U.S. military receives a discount on adult and child admission.

VERIFY WITH ID.ME OR PRESENT VALID PROOF OF SERVICE AT WILL CALL.

Members of the U.S. Military (active, retired and veterans) receive $5 off adult and child one-day or two-day admission tickets. There are three ways to receive the discount: on-site at the ticket kiosks, on-site at Will Call, and online.

KennedySpaceCenter.com*

Tickets may be purchased online after ID.me verification. You will be directed to log in or create an account with ID.me during the purchasing process. Once verified, you may purchase your discounted ticket(s).

On-Site (Ticket Kiosks)*

At the kiosks, you will be given a barcode to scan with your mobile device which will take you to ID.me for log in and verification. Follow on-screen prompts. Once verified, you may purchase your discounted ticket(s). This option for purchase will be coming soon.

On-Site (Will Call)

If you do not have an ID.me account, you may bring your proof of service (such as DD-214, Choose VA card, retiree ID, driver’s license with the Veterans designation, or active duty military ID) to the Will Call agents upon arrival. They will verify your service and apply the discount.

The discount can be applied to up to 6 guests per transaction.

*Please note that it is highly recommended you have an ID.me account before purchasing. ID.me may not verify your credentials immediately if this is the first time documentation is submitted.

Military 2-Day Admission Ticket

U.S. military receives a higher discount on a 2-day adult and child admission.

ATLANTIS ANNUAL PASS

Enjoy a year of unlimited admission, including free parking, 10% off admission for up to six accompanying guests per visit, and discounts on food and retail.

Atlantis annual pass perks

Included with the Atlantis Annual Pass:

• Admission for one year*
• 10% off admission for up to six guests per visit
• Lanyard to match the pass level
• Monthly Newsletter plus rocket launch and event alerts (when providing an email address)
• Free parking each visit ($10 value per visit)
• 10% off retail and food and beverage purchases
• 10% off Astronaut Training Experience® and Camp Kennedy Space Center®
• Exclusive access to special passholder events

* Annual passes are not valid for separately priced tickets such as special launch viewing and events. ** Passholder must check the box to sign up for exclusive emails during the purchasing process.

Annual passholders receive a 10% discount on many separately priced activities when admission is included. Terms and conditions are subject to change.

• Rocket Garden rocket tours

NOT INCLUDED WITH ADMISSION

The emailed tickets received online allow for the first entry to the visitor complex. You may print your Atlantis Annual Pass or display it on your mobile device. Upon arrival to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, go directly to the turnstiles at the main entrance. Scan the barcode on one ticket at the turnstile and once verified, you will be admitted. Visit Guest Services to exchange each ticket for an annual pass. Your photo will be taken at the time the annual pass is issued.

Cosmic Club Family Annual Pass

INCLUDED WITH the Cosmic Club Family Annual Pass

With a Cosmic Club Family Annual Pass, your entire family will enjoy: 

• Admission for one year* 
• Two adult annual passes, which will also permit entry for four children ages 3-11 per visit 
• Save $50 on select birthday party packages in Planet Play 
• Free parking each visit ($10 value per visit) 
• 10% off daily admission for up to 6 additional guests per visit 
• 10% off most retail and food and beverage purchases 
• 10% off Camp Kennedy Space Center and Virtual Camp Kennedy Space Center 
• Up to six Collectable Souvenir Cups with $0.99 refills 
• Front of the line access for Planet Play 
• Exclusive access to special passholder events 

*Annual passes are not valid for separately priced tickets such as special launch viewing and events. ** Passholder must check the box to sign up for exclusive emails during the purchasing process.

INCLUDED WITH ADMISSION

• When purchasing the Cosmic Club Family Pass, you will be asked to provide the names of the two adults associated with the family pass. Each adult will have their own annual pass card, redeemed on site during their first visit.   The emailed tickets received online allow for the first entry to the visitor complex. You may print your Cosmic Club Family Annual Pass or display them on your mobile device.  Upon arrival to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, go directly to the turnstiles at the main entrance. Scan the barcode on one ticket at the turnstile and once verified, you will be admitted. Each ticket is valid for one entry only.  
• Visit Guest Services to exchange each ticket for an annual pass. Guest Services is located inside the turnstiles and to the right.   Each named passholder must redeem this ticket on site within 30 days of the purchase date. Your photo will be taken at the time the annual pass is issued. The family annual pass begins as soon as one passholder redeems this ticket at the visitor complex. 

Annual passes are not valid for separately priced tickets such as special launch viewing and events. Annual passholders receive a 10% discount on many separately priced activities when admission is included. Terms and conditions are subject to change. 

KSC Explore Tour

Ignite your imagination on the KSC Explore Tour . Get closer to restricted areas such as launch pads and the Vehicle Assembly Building at America’s multi-user spaceport. This 2 hour tour includes stops for photo opportunities along the way before concluding at the Apollo/Saturn V Center.

With a space expert as your guide, tour America’s multi-user spaceport and make stops along the way for iconic photographic views. Ignite your imagination on the  KSC Explore Tour .

Go beyond the Kennedy Space Center Bus Tour, included with admission, with this Explore Tour, stopping to capture photo opportunities and view icons of NASA spaceflight operations. Tour availability and routes may be altered at any time with or without any notice due to operational requirements. Safety protocols require an alternate tour bus route during days leading up to a launch from Launch Complex 39A.

* In addition to daily admission ticket or annual pass. Multiple tours are not recommended.

Chat With An Astronaut

Sit down in a casual, small-group setting, enjoy a sampling of food and beverages and ask a NASA astronaut your most pressing questions. 

INTRODUCING CHAT WITH AN ASTRONAUT  

Enjoy a sampling of food and beverages while having a group conversation about what it is really like to live and work in space. with plenty of time for an engaging Q & A session.

Inclusions:   

• A continental breakfast in the morning, or chef’s choice of culinary samplings in the afternoon 
• 1 alcoholic drink per adult ticket (more available for purchase)
• A commemorative gift and lithograph (signed portrait) of the astronaut

Due to the small setting of this experience, Chat With An Astronaut is not available to groups. There is a maximum of 6 tickets purchased per transaction.  This experience is indoors with social distancing practices in place. For more information on our Trusted Space efforts against the spread of COVID-19, visit our  Health & Safety Procedures  page. 

Land and Drive on Mars Training Stage

Navigate the Martian surface! This full-motion simulator will place you in the Commander or Pilot seats where you hone your skills and drive over the rough Martian terrain. With varying degrees of motion intensity, everyone can drive on Mars. 

All ATX Training Stages are perfect for guests looking to kick off their space exploration training during their visit without doing the full ATX program. 

REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL ATX TRAINING STAGES:  

• ATX Training Stages must be purchased in addition to daily admission.  
• All ATX Training Stages are for individuals and groups ages 10 and older. Trainees that are ages 10 - 17 will require a paying, participating adult.  
• Allow 30 minutes in your day for your ATX Training Stage. 
• Program is presented in English both verbally and in text.   
• Minimum height for this simulator is 51 inches/1.3 meters tall. 
• Maximum weight for all simulators is 275 pounds/127 kilograms. 
• Closed toed shoes are required.  

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS: 

• All Astronaut Training Experience Simulators:  For safety, you should be in good health and free from high blood pressure, heart, back or neck problems, motion sickness, or other conditions that could be aggravated by this experience.  Expectant mothers should not participate.  
• Land and Drive on Mars Simulator: Those who have had recent surgery or injury should not ride.  Participants must be at least 51” tall.

Due to limited capacities and enhanced sanitization practices, availability is limited to a first come, first served basis. We highly recommend you pre-book your training stage before you arrive . 

Walk on Mars Training Stage

Time to step onto the Red Planet. Walk on Mars through immersive virtual reality with the help of your crew. Nowhere else on Earth can you explore Mars quite like this.  

Requirements For All ATX Training Stages:  

• Minimum height for this simulator is 48 inches/1.22 meters tall. 

Safety Precautions: 

• All Astronaut Training Experience Simulators: For safety, you should be in good health and free from high blood pressure, heart, back or neck problems, motion sickness, or other conditions that could be aggravated by this experience.  Expectant mothers should not participate.  
• Walk on Mars Virtual Reality: If you experience seizures, loss of awareness, eye strain, altered vision or other visual abnormalities, dizziness, disorientation, or any symptom related to motion sickness, you should not participate.  Guests who have pre-existing binocular vision abnormalities should not participate. 

Microgravity Training Stage

Train for weightlessness and conduct your own spacewalk in the Microgravity Simulator. You and your crew will work together in order to successfully complete a series of training challenges needed to set you on a path to Mars, all while in a frictionless environment.  

*In addition to daily admission ticket or annual pass.

Astronaut Training Experience

Nowhere else on Earth can you train to go to Mars and experience astronaut training. Through exciting and immersive simulation technology, prepare for the next mission to Mars.

Trainees do not need daily admission to experience ATX.

• ATX is a 5 hour program, beginning at 8:30 AM and 4:30 PM on the dates available. 
• ATX is suitable for ages 10 and older. Trainees that are ages 10 - 17 will require a paying, participating adult.

SAFETY AND RESTRICTIONS:

English Flue ncy:   Due to safety instructions and the interactive content essential to this program, each guest must be fluent in English in order to participate in ATX.

All Astronaut Training Experience Simulators:  For safety, you should be in good health and free from high blood pressure, heart, back or neck problems, motion sickness, or other conditions that could be aggravated by this experience.  Expectant mothers should not participate.

Lander/Rover Simulator:  Those who have had recent surgery or injury should not ride.  Participants must be at least 51” tall.

Walk on Mars Virtual Reality:  If you experience seizures, loss of awareness, eye strain, altered vision or other visual abnormalities, dizziness, disorientation, or any symptom related to motion sickness, you should not participate.  Guests who have pre-existing binocular vision abnormalities should not participate.

Spacewalk Training:  Participants must be at least 48 inches/1.22 meters tall. Max weight 275 pounds/127 kilograms.

Admission is not included, but it is not required for the Astronaut Training Experience.

Mars Base 1

Travel to Mars to live and work for the day, solving authentic science and engineering challenges. Rookie Astronauts manage the Base Operations Center on Mars, harvest plants in the Botany Lab, program robots to optimize solar energy and adapt to the challenges of living on Mars.

Due to safety instructions and the interactive content essential to this program, each guest must be fluent in English in order to participate. 

• Mars Base 1 begins at 9:00 am and is an all-day program.
• Appropriate for ages 10 and older.  Trainees that are ages 10 - 17 will require a paying, participating adult.
• Wheelchair accessible, but with some possible mobility challenges.

Learn more about Mars Base 1 . 

Mars Base 1 does not include daily admission to the visitor complex, but daily admission is not required to participate. Add  admission  to visit on your second day and have the complete Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex experience!

Admission is not included.

Enhance Your Visit

Play on the Planets

Experience a Ship Like No Other

Space Shuttle Atlantis®

Kennedy Space Center Official Guide

Save a Map. Download the free App!

• Kennedy Space Center Official Guide App is available for free from the App Store
• Plan your trip with features such as maps, FAQ’s, and detailed descriptions of shows and attractions.
• Enhance your visit with information on guest services, dining and shopping, and for updated information including rocket launches.
• Use the wayfinding maps to maneuver your way around the visitor complex and the Apollo/Saturn V Center

Admission prices are plus tax. Daily Admission tickets are good for a one-day visit to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex℠, excluding special promotional offers and black out dates. Prices are subject to change without notice. KSC Special Interest Tours, ATX and Chat With An Astronaut are only valid for date of reservation.

Military Discount: Price good with proof of valid ID for United States active duty military at the ticket window. Reservist, retiree and active duty military receive discount when purchasing tickets through a participating MWR/ITT Travel office.

Annual passes are non-transferable and nonrefundable. Purchases of annual passes may be made at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex℠ front gate or guest services, online or by calling the reservations office at 855.433.4210.

Seating is limited at Chat With An Astronaut, and KSC Special Interest Tours are limited and subject to availability. Due to the special nature of these tours, space is limited. Advance reservations are suggested for both special programs. All exhibits are subject to change, and tours may be altered or closed due to operational requirements or launch preparations.

What will space tourists get when they fly with SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic? Spacesuits, sleeping bags ... and Jeff Bezos

• Virgin Galactic's $250,000 ticket to the edge of space includes a spacesuit.
• Passengers paying $55 million for SpaceX's mission to the ISS get sleeping bags, hygiene products.
• Blue Origin's $28 million spaceflight comes with a seat next to Jeff Bezos.
• See more stories on Insider's business page .

The era of space tourism has dawned.

Richard Branson  is scheduled to blast off in Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity on Sunday for the company's first fully-crewed rocket-powered test flight .

If the launch goes ahead as planned, he'll be 9 days ahead of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who plans to travel to the edge of space on July 20 in Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft.

Meanwhile, SpaceX's private mission with Axiom Space is scheduled to fly four passengers to the International Space Station (ISS) in early 2022.

Read more: As Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson blast off, here are 11 of the most exciting space startups according to VCs

The journeys certainly aren't cheap. Trips aboard Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity will cost passengers $250,000 apiece. A seat on Blue Origin's New Shepard craft was auctioned off at $28 million in June. And the four passengers traveling to the ISS on SpaceX's Crew Dragon will pay a cool $55 million a head.

The question is, what bang will they get for their buck?

SpaceX and Axiom

A ticket for Axiom's mission to the ISS will include:

• Mission planning
• Life support
• Medical support
• Crew provisions
• Eight days aboard the ISS

Staying on the ISS costs the astronauts about $6.8 million a day, NASA told The Verge in January.

Related stories

According to NASA's 2021 price list , it should cost $2,000 per crew member per day for food and drinks aboard the ISS. It'll also cost each person as much as $1,500 per day   for things like clothing, hygiene products, office supplies, and sleeping bags.

Blue Origin

The unnamed winner of Blue Origin's auction will accompany Jeff Bezos and his brother on an 11-minute trip on the New Shepard craft. For their $28 million they will be getting:

• On-site accommodation

Blue Origin hasn't yet disclosed commercial seat prices for flights on New Shepard.

Before stepping aboard, passengers must show they can deal with heights, walk on uneven surfaces, and support up to three times their weight, Insider previously reported.

"There are a couple days of training in advance of the flight," a Blue Origin spokesperson told Insider in June. "Some of the training includes learning procedures for getting into and out of the capsule, a mission simulation, and learning techniques for how to move around in zero-g."

Virgin Galactic

Around 600 customers across 58 countries have already forked out up to $250,000  for a seat on Virgin Galactic's Unity spacecraft, which will take them to the edge of space.

A spokesperson from Virgin Galactic told Insider that the ticket includes:

• A spacesuit

Unlike Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket, Unity won't pass the Kármán line, an imaginary boundary between the atmosphere and space. When Virgin Galactic's Unity reaches this height, passengers will experience several minutes of weightlessness before the spacecraft returns to Earth.

Branson, 70, has gone through months of training in preparation for his flight, which is scheduled for July 11.

Watch: How SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic plan on taking you to space

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The best places in Moscow for space lovers

The Memorial museum of Cosmonautics, Moscow. Source: Lori/Legion-Media

In Moscow lovers of the films “Interstellar” and “Gravity” can begin their space tour as soon as they arrive by staying at the Cosmos Hotel, located in what could be called the “space” part of town. From there they can cross the street to the Cosmos Pavilion at VDNKh and the Moscow Museum of Cosmonautics.

Choose the planetarium that fits you best: a fancy one full of wild amusements or a small and cosy Soviet one hidden among the trees of Ekaterininsky Park. For a tour of Zvezdny Gorodok (Star Village) reservations often must be made two months in advance.

Cosmic canine pioneers

At the end of World War II it was still unknown if a living being could survive a space flight. In the USSR, given Professor Pavlov’s previous experience, experiments went forward with dogs, while in the U.S. and France scientists chose monkeys and cats respectively. In the USSR dogs were taken from shelters, as family dogs were considered too soft. Scientists needed dogs with a real “Soviet character,” in other words tough and full of self-denial.

In August 1960 Belka and Strelka accomplished 17 orbits around the Earth and their comeback was a triumph. They spent the rest of their lives in glory, and were often paraded around in kindergartens and schools. When they died their bodies were stuffed with straw and put on display at the Museum of Cosmonautics in Moscow.

Source: RIA Novosti/Ruslan Krivobok

Nikita Khrushchev gave Pushinka, a puppy of the heroine Strelka, as a gift to President Kennedy’s daughter. The gift was intended as a hint: the First Secretary of the Communist Party wanted to demonstrate that the USSR had beaten the U.S. in the space race. Once the CIA checked it for listening devices, Pushinka became the Kennedys’ pet, soon pairing it off with their Welsh terrier Charlie. She gave birth to four puppies.

The Museum of Cosmonautics

Source: Lori/Legion-Media

The museum has a rich collection including the first satellite, a space WC, the capsule where space dogs Kozyavka and Otvazhnaya lived, the personal belongings of the first astronaut, specimens from the moon and recreations of space flights. Authentic space food is sold in the gift shop.

Everything has been left untouched at Korolev’s Memorial House Museum located nearby. He lived there for six years during an intense period of work, fully devoting himself to projects aimed at conquering space, the most important of which was the launch of the Earth’s first artificial satellite and the first space flight of a man.

Prospekt Mira 111 Metro: VDNKh +7 (495) 683-79-68 www.kosmo-museum.ru   Hours of operation: Tue, Wed, Fri-Sun 10:00-19:00, Thu 10:00-21:00; closed Mondays Entrance fee: 200 rubles (3,5$) for adults; 50 rubles (80 cents) for children; free for children under six Guided tour: 350 rubles (6$); photo or video: 230 rubles (4$) Admission to the Buran-2 interactive space flight: 200 rubles (3,5$)

Zvezdny Gorodok (Star City)

Source: Photoxpress

The Astronauts’ Training Center and the Museum of Space Exploration can be found at the closed settlement Zvezdny Gorodok. Here you can learn about the history of spacecraft, see the first Soviet rocket, spacesuits and flight simulators for the training of astronauts. If you submit to a quick medical check-up, you can try all this yourself. But strolling around the grounds through this quiet town is also worthwhile as it’s a fascinating glimpse into Soviet scientific settlements. In order to visit the museum, you need to book a tour by phone or e-mail at least 35 days in advance.

Zvezdny Gorodok, 23 kilometers from MKAD, Sholkovskoe Shosse, Moscow Region +7 (495) 526-38-74 www.zvezdniygorodok.ru   (in Russian) E-mail:  [email protected] Entrance fee: 500 rubles (9$) for adults, 400 rubles (7$) for children

Moscow Planetarium

Source: TASS/Vladimir Astapkovich

The Moscow Planetarium was recently reconstructed and has once again become a major destination for entertainment mixed with a scientific and educational mission. There are Large and Small Star Halls, the Lunarium interactive museum, a 4D cinema and an observatory.

Source: TASS/Anna Salynskaya

The planetarium is located in the Large Star Hall, which projects stars and planets on the ceiling and shows a documentary film on black holes and the collision of galaxies. In the Lunarium you can make the Sun explode with a virtual meteorite, take a walk on Mars, launch a hydrogen-fuelled rocket or give shape to an extra-terrestrial. This is not Moscow's only such facility, as there is also a small but pleasant planetarium in Ekaterininsky Park:  www.planetarium-cc.ru   (in Russian)

Sadovaya-Kudrinskaya ul. 5/1 Metro: Krasnopresnenskaya, Barrikadnaya +7 (495) 221-76-90 www.planetarium-moscow.ru/en Hours of operation: Mon, Wed-Sun 10:00–21:00; closed Tuesdays Entrance fee: 120–700 rubles (2-12,5$)

The Cosmos Pavilion at VDNKh

The Cosmos Pavilion Museum at VDNKh park features a full-size interactive model of the future Mars-Tefo space station. It is part educational project and part interactive museum dedicated to the exploration of Mars. It is also a place where you can experience the role of the astronaut and explorer of distant worlds.

Source: TASS/Milkhail Japaridze

There are three ways to experience Mars-Tefo: you can look, touch or try yourself. Visitors can get on a simulator that mimics a walk on the surface of Mars with views of its landscapes. The walk leads to the station, where you can observe sandstorms.

There are fantastic images of Mars’ surface as well as a panorama of the Gale Crater shot by the Curiosity space probe in 2012. Additionally, visitors can enter the teleport zone and go into the future to a time when humans can explore Mars and a screening room where you can see Mars and a film on the exploration and conquest of the Red Planet.  

Prospekt Mira 119, VDNKh, Pavilion 34 Metro: VDNKh +7 (495) 215-13-41 or +7 (495) 215-13-48 The pavilion is open Tues-Sun, although tours must be booked in advance Entrance fee:  500–2000 rubles (9$-36$), with a five-percent discount if tickets are purchased online  www.marstefo.ru  (in Russian)

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HALO Space unveils capsule design for stratospheric space 'glamping'

A Spanish balloon company plans to begin flying paying space tourists in 2026

LONDON — Stratospheric balloon company HALO Space plans to offer aspiring space travelers the space tourism equivalent of glamping. Instead of tight space suits and stomach-churning G-forces typically attached to a rocket flight, the company's pressurized capsule, attached to a helium-filled balloon, will offer comfy swivel seats, giant windows and a selection of fine cuisine.

The Spanish-headquartered firm unveiled the design of the 3.9-ton (3.5 metric tonnes) Aurora capsule at an event in London on Wednesday, April 10, and said it hoped to begin commercial operations in 2026. 

Unlike suborbital space tourism companies such as Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin , HALO Space won't be taking passengers high enough to experience weightlessness . The flight will be a rather leisurely affair lasting up to six hours, almost four of which will be spent hovering in the stratosphere some 22 miles (35 kilometers) above Earth's surface. There, high above the cloud tops, passengers will be able to admire the star-studded blackness of space above, as well as the curvature of the planet shrouded in the atmosphere beneath their feet.

Related: Space Perspective is nearly ready to fly tourists on luxury balloon rides near the edge of space (exclusive)

"When you talk to astronauts, they tell you that this experience of watching the planet from above is really something unique and extraordinary," HALO Space CEO Carlos Mira said in the press conference. "So far, only 650 humans have had the opportunity to experience this overview effect. But you don’t need to go all the way to space to have it. We hope to offer this experience to 1,000 people by 2030."

HALO Space is one of two companies currently readying its balloon technology to begin commercial operations in the next two years. The other is Florida-based Space Perspective, which revealed a completed test model of their Spaceship Neptune in February. HALO Space said they have conducted five test flights with a mockup and plan to take off for the first crewed test in 2025 before commencing flights with paying passengers a year later. 

Both companies hope their propositions will attract a wider customer base than the jerky rocket rides of Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, which propel daredevil clients on short joy rides to the edge of space and back. Reaching an altitude nearly three times higher than stratospheric balloons, Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin's spacecraft experience several-minute-long spells of microgravity before falling back to Earth . 

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At $164,000 per seat, a trip with HALO Space will cost about a third of the price of a Virgin Galactic flight and won't require any advanced medical certifications. 

"The take-off will be like being in an elevator," said Mira. "The ascent is soft and gentle, climbing at 12 miles per hour."

The 16-foot-wide (5 meters) and 11.5-foot-tall (3.5 m) capsule will be made of aluminum alloy and composite materials. With an internal space of 30.4 square feet (2.8 square meters), the spaceship could host eight paying passengers, plus a pilot. The internal atmosphere will be maintained by a life-support system similar to that of an aircraft. Yet despite this crammed interior and the extreme environment outside the capsule, passengers should still feel perfectly comfortable and able to relax.

"It's meant to be a sort of a glamping experience," Frank Stephenson, creative director and founder of Frank Stephenson Design who led the design work said at the conference. "It's a high-level experience for these people who are used to flying first class rather than economy."

Stephenson, who had previously worked for high-end car makers including BMW, Ferrari, Maserati and McLaren, said the biggest challenge was keeping the capsule light enough so that it can be safely lifted by the balloon while still making sure every aspect of the interior lives up to the expectations of passengers. 

“It's very easy to add weight to things and make it super comfortable," Stephenson said. "It's more difficult to reduce weight, reduce material and still make it feel like a very unique experience."

When fully inflated, the stratospheric balloon will be 460 feet (140 meters) tall, towering over the gleaming space capsule. The balloon is designed to detach from the capsule during descent. The capsule will then be brought down to a landing under a steerable parachute. Mira said the balloon technology is inherently safer than rockets loaded with explosive fuels. It also produces no greenhouse gas emissions, making the experience 100 percent compliant with the most stringent environmental protection standards.

—  Space Perspective wants to take tourists on balloon rides to the stratosphere

—  Space Perspective partners with Exclusive Resorts for balloon rides to the stratosphere

—  Space Perspective starts selling seats for balloon rides

"We are using mature technologies," said Mira. "Balloons in general have been around for more than 200 years. This type of balloon, stratospheric balloons, have been around for almost 100 years. The first human went to the stratosphere on a balloon in 1931."

HALO Space plans to fly from spaceports in the Mojave Desert in the U.S., Spain, Australia and Saudi Arabia. The company is currently working with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to receive a license before its first crewed flight next year.  

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Tereza is a London-based science and technology journalist, aspiring fiction writer and amateur gymnast. Originally from Prague, the Czech Republic, she spent the first seven years of her career working as a reporter, script-writer and presenter for various TV programmes of the Czech Public Service Television. She later took a career break to pursue further education and added a Master's in Science from the International Space University, France, to her Bachelor's in Journalism and Master's in Cultural Anthropology from Prague's Charles University. She worked as a reporter at the Engineering and Technology magazine, freelanced for a range of publications including Live Science, Space.com, Professional Engineering, Via Satellite and Space News and served as a maternity cover science editor at the European Space Agency.

Scientists identify origin of the 'BOAT' — the brightest cosmic blast of all time

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– The capsule that launched the first woman into space, the most complete Soviet lunar lander still in existence and the 80-year-old original drawings of a Russian rocket pioneer are among the more than 150 rare Soviet-era space relics now on display in London. Billed as the greatest exhibition of Soviet spacecraft and artifacts ever to be seen outside of Russia, "Cosmonauts: Birth of the Space Age" opened to the public Friday (Sept. 18) at the Science Museum in South Kensington. Years in the making, the unprecedented exhibition is the result of a partnership between the museum, the State Museum and Exhibition Center Rosizo in Moscow and Russia's Federal Space Agency Roscosmos. "'Cosmonauts' is a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition that has taken years of dedication and skill to make a reality," said Ian Blatchford, the director of the Science Museum. "The Russian space program is one of the great intellectual, scientific and engineering successes of the 20th century and I am thrilled that we have been able to bring together such an outstanding collection of Russian space artifacts to celebrate these achievements."

In 1957, the Soviet Union initiated the space age with the launch of the world's first satellite. Following the success of Sputnik, the country launched the first animal, man and woman into orbit — all within six years. "Our work in space is inspired by the bravery of [first man in space] Yuri Gagarin, Valentina Tereshkova and the first cosmonauts," said Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko in a video sent down from the International Space Station. "We hope you will enjoy discovering how they made space travel a reality." "In this new exhibition, you can see Tereshkova's Vostok 6 capsule, a moon lander and much more," he said. Tereshkova became the first woman to travel to space on June 16, 1963. She came to the Science Museum to help launch the new gallery on Thursday (Sept. 17). "I believe this exhibit shows how interesting and important for mankind is the work of people both on the ground and in space," Tereshkova stated. "It creates the possibility to think about future cooperation between our scientists [and] our young people who want to fly into space."

For decades, Tereshkova's Vostok 6 capsule has been on display in the private museum of its builder, Rocket and Space Corporation (RSC) Energia, located near Moscow. The opening of "Cosmonauts" offered the opportunity for Tereshkova to be reunited with the spacecraft that carried her for 48 revolutions around the Earth. "I look at [the capsule] with love because it allowed me to work successfully for over three days in orbit," she said. Another of the exhibition's featured relics is the 16-foot-tall (5 m) LK-3 lunar lander. Built in 1969, it was designed to take a single cosmonaut to the surface of the moon. Kept secret for two decades, this lunar lander was declassified especially for "Cosmonauts," according to the museum. "The lunar lander you have here was used as a training model at the cosmonaut training center," explained Alexei Leonov, who made the world's first spacewalk in 1965 and had been slated to fly to the moon had the LK program not been cancelled in the wake of rocket failures and the U.S. Apollo astronauts getting there first. "Londoners, visitors to the museum, will be able to see it all as it happened in our country [and] see it with their own eyes," said Leonov during a visit to the Science Museum in May. "These are the objects that with the help of which we conquered space, step by step."

"Cosmonauts" covers the full history of the Russian space efforts, from rocket pioneer Konstantin Tsiolkovsky's 1933 drawings depicting weightlessness and life in orbit almost 30 years before spaceflight would become a reality to an original engineering model of Sputnik, through an ejector seat and suit used to launch the first dogs into space to a space toilet, shower and other space equipment that were designed to help cosmonauts living aboard the Mir space station. The exhibition also showcases a rarely-seen collection of original Soviet space poster art, which fixed the image of the cosmonaut in the minds of the Russian people. "We are borrowing things that that our Russian colleagues really do think of as their crown jewels — and almost none have ever left Russia," said Blatchford. "Cosmonauts" is open now through March 13, 2016 at the Science Museum, London. Tickets run £14 (about $22) for adults; children under 7 are free of charge. For more details about the exhibition, "Cosmonauts: Birth of the Space Age," see the Science Museum's website .

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Middle East crisis: Several airlines suspend services, avoid Iranian airspace

New Delhi: With the Middle East tensions flaring up, Air India has temporarily suspended its Tel Aviv flights and other national and internationa carriers have charted alternative flight paths to avoid the Iranian airspace. Longer flight paths will result in increased operational costs for the airlines, and the situation could also push airfares higher.

Apart from Air India, Vistara and IndiGo from India have opted for alternative paths for their flights to the West. An official in the know said that IndiGo, which operates flights to Istanbul with aircraft leased from Turkish Airlines, is avoiding the Iranian airspace.

Airlines of the Middle East and Europe Major Middle East airlines, including Emirates Airlines, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways, said on Sunday they would resume operation in the region after cancelling or rerouting some flights. It was not yet clear if the latest unrest would impact passenger demand, which has remained robust despite ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, said Brendan Sobie, an independent aviation analyst. "If the political situation and the conflicts continue to escalate then at some point people will be concerned about travelling, but so far that hasn't happened," Sobie said.

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Saudia, the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia has suspended all its services to the airports in the northern region of the country until further notice. The airline had earlier recalled a flight to Al Qurayyat back to Riyadh. Meanwhile, Jordan has closed its air space indefinitely to all incoming, departing and transit aircraft. This led Kuwait Airways to cancel its flights to Al Qurayyat in Jordan (Al Qurayyat is there both in Saudi Arabia and Jordan). The airline company has temporarily suspended its services to Iraq, Iran, Jordan and Lebanon. Meanwhile, the European aviation agency also urged caution in Israeli and Iranian airspaces though it said no civil overflights had been placed at risk. Dutch airline KLM has cancelled all flights to and from Tel Aviv until Tuesday.

Biggest disruption since 9/11 This was the biggest single disruption to air travel since the attack on the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, according to Mark Zee, founder of OPSGROUP, which monitors airspace and airports. "Not since then have we had a situation with that many different air spaces closed down in that quick succession, and that creates chaos," Zee told Reuters, adding that disruptions were likely to last a couple more days.

The latest routing problems are a blow to an industry already facing a host of restrictions due to conflicts between Israel and Hamas, and Russia and Ukraine. Iran's airspace is used by airlines travelling between Europe and Asia and those carriers will be restricted to two viable alternative routes, either through Turkey or via Egypt and Saudi Arabia, Zee said. Israel closed its airspace on Saturday, before reopening them on Sunday morning. Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon also resumed flights over their territories. (Inputs from PTI and Reuters)

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Emirates, Etihad, Qatar and other airlines resume flights to Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq

Airspace restrictions have lifted, but travellers can expect some knock-on effects.

Air traffic over Iran and the Middle East on Sunday after flights were cancelled and diverted. Reuters

Airlines in the Middle East have resumed flights to several destinations in the region.

Etihad Airways is once again flying to Amman, Beirut and Tel Aviv from Abu Dhabi, with flights resuming on Monday.

The national airline of the UAE cancelled and rerouted flights on Sunday after Jordan, Israel, Lebanon and Iraq temporarily closed airspace due to rising tensions between Iran and Israel.

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

Travellers flying in the region today should be aware that there may still be delays or disruptions.

“As services return to normal following disruption caused by the temporary closure of airspace across parts of the Middle East on Sunday 14 April, there may still be a risk of some knock-on disruption across Monday 15 April,” a representative for the airline told The National.

Emirates has resumed normal operations after cancelling and rerouting some flights on Sunday. The Dubai airline is once again flying to Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq, after these countries lifted airspace restrictions.

“With the reopening of these airspaces, we are resuming our scheduled operations to/from Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq from the afternoon of April 14,” an airline representative told The National.

“We are closely monitoring the situation in co-ordination with the relevant authorities. Safety is always our top priority. Customers can check their flight status on emirates.com for the latest information.”

A Flydubai representative said in an emailed statement that “flights are operating to schedule” and Qatar Airways resumed flights to destinations in the region, including to Amman, Beirut and Baghdad, according to a statement from the Doha-based airline.

Flights cancelled and rerouted

Over the weekend, several UAE airlines were cancelling and rerouting flights as tensions between Iran and Israel escalated.

Emirates, Etihad Airways and flydubai scrapped some flights and rerouted others after Jordan, Israel, Lebanon and Iraq temporarily closed airspace in light of Iran's attack on Israel.

Etihad, the national airline, cancelled flights to Tel Aviv and Amman on Sunday.

It rerouted a number of European and North American flights to avoid closed airspace in the region.

“Etihad Airways flights only operate through approved airspace. Safety is always our highest priority and we would never operate a flight unless it was safe to do so,” a representative for the airline told The National .

Flydubai cancelled several flights on Sunday.

“Due to the temporary closure of a number of airspaces last night, some of our flights on Sunday 14 April to Iran, Iraq, Israel and Jordan have been cancelled,” a representative for the airline told The National.

“We continue to closely monitor the situation as the airspaces reopen and will make any amendments to our schedule accordingly.”

The airline confirmed it was “in direct contact with our passengers whose travel plans have been affected”.

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi cancelled its scheduled flight to Israel on Sunday morning and said the temporary closure of airspace in the region had affected other flights.

“All passengers affected by the schedule changes will be provided with rebooking or refund options,” a representative said. “The safety and security for our passengers, crew and aircraft remains our number-one priority. We hope that normality comes back to the region soon.”

Iran cancels flights from airports across the country

Airports in Iran suspended flights across the country until at least Monday, according to reports from Iranian state media.

This includes all flights from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport.

It also applies to domestic flights from Mehrabad Airport and airports in Shiraz, Isfahan, Bushehr, Kerman, Ilam, and Sanandaj.

Where are diverted flights in the Middle East going?

April 14 vs April 07. Air traffic that used to fly over Iraq has now moved to fly either over Saudi Arabia/Egypt or over Tajikistan/Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/xp9hNblCwH — Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) April 14, 2024

As several countries in the region restricted airspace, flights heading to Europe or to the US had to be diverted, typically via Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

The change of flight path could add up to an hour to flight times for many passengers. As well as delayed journeys, this is likely to affect connecting flights in other destinations.

Planes that used to fly over Iran are also being diverted over Tajikistan and Pakistan, showing a change of pattern in the skies over the Middle East in a post shared by flight-tracking company Flight Radar 24.

Israel reopens airspace

Initial airspace closures in Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Israel expired in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Israel's airspace reopened at 7.30am and an Arkia flight from the Seychelles was the first to land at Ben Gurion International Airport. Three El Al flights departed the airport on Sunday morning, with Israel's national airline bound for Prague, Athens and Larnaca.

Israel's airport authority on Sunday advised flight schedules at Ben Gurion would be subject to change.

Jordan has also reopened airspace, according to aviation authorities in the country. Samer Majali, chief executive of Amman airline Royal Jordanian, told Reuters the airline's flights have resumed but passengers could expect delays.

Iraq reopened its airspace on Sunday morning, with flights resuming across the country, and airspace in Lebanon reopened at 7am local time.

Middle East Airlines – Lebanon's national airline – announced on Facebook it was postponing most flights departing Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport.

What should affected travellers do?

Emirates advises customers departing or arriving at Dubai International Airport to check their flight status on emirates.com for the latest information regarding their flights.

It's best to do this before travelling to the airport.

Etihad also advises travellers to check the status of any coming journeys on the airline's website. Passengers who want to change their travel plans in light of disruptions have been asked to reach out to the Etihad Airways Contact Centre, or to the travel agent with which they booked flights.

Travellers can also check any travel insurance policies owned to see what is stated with regards to coverage for flight cancellations due to airspace restrictions. Those with future travel plans in or through the region should continue to monitor the situation for developments, and reconfirm flight schedules ahead of travel.

International airlines suspend flights to the region

Austrian Airlines suspended all flights to Tel Aviv, Erbil and Amman on Sunday. The national airline of Austria and a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group has scrapped flights to the three destinations until April 15.

The move comes after the airline previously canned flights from Vienna to Tehran until April 18. Austrian Airlines was the last western European airline still flying to Iran amid the escalating tensions.

Germany's Lufthansa has taken similar precautions, announcing on Sunday that it is suspending flights to Amman, Erbil and Tel Aviv until at least Monday. The airline has also suspended flights to Beirut and Tehran until Thursday, April 18.

On Saturday, Australia's Qantas said it would redirect long-haul flights between Perth and London to avoid Iranian airspace.

Travellers on the 17.5-hour flight, can now expect to stop in Singapore where the jet will refuel, before continuing on an alternative route. The return service from London to Perth will continue to fly non-stop on a readjusted path due to prevailing winds.

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Major Middle East airlines to resume flights after Iran's attack on Israel

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Reporting by Federico Maccioni and Jana Choukeir in Dubai; Adam Makary and Muhammad Al Gebaly in Cairo; Editing by Alex Richardson, Sharon Singleton and Jan Harvey

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Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq reopen airspace closed over Iran’s attacks on Israel

The Arab nations had closed their airspaces after Iran’s drone and missile attacks on Israel, but many flights remain affected.

Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon have reopened their airspaces after closing them over Iran’s unprecedented drone and missile attacks on Israel.

Jordan’s state TV on Sunday said the country had resumed air traffic operations, citing aviation authorities. The opening of its airspace came more than three hours earlier than scheduled.

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Lebanon said its airport will resume its activities after the overnight closure, state TV reported.

Iraq’s aviation authority said security risks had now been overcome.

Meanwhile, Israel also reopened its airspace as of 7:30am (04:30 GMT) on Sunday, adding that flight schedules from Tel Aviv were expected to be affected.

Flag carrier El Al said it had resumed operations and was “working to stabilise the flight schedule as soon as possible”. “El Al will continue to operate as much as possible to preserve the air bridge to and from Israel,” it said.

Late on Saturday night, Iran launched explosive drones and fired missiles at Israel – its first direct attack on Israeli territory in a retaliatory strike that raises the threat of wider regional conflict.

Tehran had pledged to retaliate for what it says was an Israeli attack on Iran’s embassy compound last week in Damascus  that killed a senior commander in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’s overseas Quds Force and six other officers.

Jordan, which lies between Iran and Israel, had readied air defences to intercept any drones or missiles that violated its territory, two regional security sources told the Reuters news agency.

Jordan said it intercepted some flying objects that entered its airspace last night to ensure the safety of citizens, a cabinet statement said.

“Some shrapnel fell in multiple places during that time without causing any significant damage or any injuries to citizens,” it added.

Reaction to Iran’s strikes has been swift, with many countries describing the attacks as a serious escalation, with potentially widespread consequences for the region.

The attacks come amid the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza , which shows no sign of easing despite numerous mediation efforts.

Meanwhile, global airlines have also been cancelling flights and changing routes after Iran’s attacks.

The United Arab Emirates-based Emirates announced the cancellation of some of its flights and the re-routing of others, the airline’s spokesperson said.

“We are closely monitoring the situation and making all efforts to ensure minimal disruption to customers after recent airspace closures,” a spokesperson from the airline said.

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways cancelled flights to Jordan and Israel on Sunday, the airline said in a statement.

Swiss International Air Lines has suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until further notice, the airline said in a post on social media platform X on Sunday.

Swiss, which is owned by German carrier Lufthansa, said all of its planes were avoiding the airspaces of Iran, Iraq and Israel, causing delays to flights from India and Singapore.

Lufthansa said it was suspending flights to Amman, Beirut, Erbil and Tel Aviv at least until Monday following the latest turmoil in the Middle East.

In a statement to Reuters news agency, the German carrier said it would also ensure its flights avoided the airspace above Israel, Jordan and Iraq for the foreseeable future.

Austrian Airlines, which is also part of the Lufthansa Group, announced it was suspending flights to Tehran until April 18.

“Long-haul routes through the Middle East will also be rerouted accordingly due to various airspace closures,” the airline said in a statement.

As a precaution, Iran’s Imam Khomeini international airport and the Mehrabad airport, which is mainly dedicated to domestic flights, will remain closed until Monday at 06:00 am (0230 GMT), according to ISNA news agency.