Key Notes
- Commercial space travel becomes accessible through digital currencies via Blue Origin’s crypto payment integration.
- Space tourism pricing remains premium with deposits starting at $150,000 and full experiences potentially reaching $600,000.
- Shift4 founder Jared Isaacman connects his space travel experience with enabling others’ cosmic journeys through crypto.
Commercial spaceflight company Blue Origin has partnered with payments processing firm Shift4 to accept cryptocurrency payments for all upcoming spaceflights.
According to an Aug. 11 press release, crypto holders can purchase tickets for flights aboard the New Shepard reusable rocket via Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, USDT and USDC starting immediately.
Shift4 is fueling the future of commerce – on Earth and beyond. 🌍🚀
We’ve partnered with @blueorigin to enable cryptocurrency and stablecoin payments for spaceflights aboard New Shepard. It’s a bold step forward in expanding where and how crypto can be used.
Crypto payments,… pic.twitter.com/oY6Lr4wF64
— Shift4 (@Shift4) August 11, 2025
It’s unclear exactly how much a trip to space will cost. A ticket sold for $28 million at auction in 2021, but it was the first seat Blue Origin sold for a crewed commercial flight beyond the Earth’s atmosphere and the proceeds went to charity.
A form on the company’s website indicates that would-be astronauts must pay a $150,000 deposit due at the time of application, but there’s no other mention of price. Similar experiences aboard craft from competitor Virgin Galactic purportedly cost about $600,000 in 2025.
Space Industry Competition and Pricing
While SpaceX isn’t currently offering crewed commercial flights, it does have a “Rideshare” program in place for future flights with the earliest slated for 2027. According to the program’s website, fees start as low as $650,000 depending on the “payload” size requested.
SpaceX, which was founded by Elon Musk in 2002, sent an all-civilian crew into space in 2021, but its mission commander, billionaire tech mogul and professional stunt pilot Jared Isaacman, footed the bill at a cost of at least $300 million.
Isaacman, who was briefly considered for the top position at NASA by the Trump administration, is also the founder and chairman of Shift4 Payments. He’s now gone full circle from being one of the first cryptocurrency advocates to cross the Kármán line, the official boundary between Earth and space, to enabling cryptocurrency payments for those who wish to follow.
Disclaimer: Coinspeaker is committed to providing unbiased and transparent reporting. This article aims to deliver accurate and timely information but should not be taken as financial or investment advice. Since market conditions can change rapidly, we encourage you to verify information on your own and consult with a professional before making any decisions based on this content.
Tristan is a technology journalist and editorial leader with 8 years of experience covering science, deep tech, finance, politics, and business. Before joining Coinspeaker, he wrote for Cointelegraph and TNW.
