Frequetly Asked Questions

There are not many ways to become an astronaut these days. Space agencies like NASA or the European EASA offer selections once per decade or so, usually rallying a huge amount of candidates, with only a handful of selected astronauts. With a few hundred thousand dollars, one can become a one-day astronaut on a suborbital flight. Today Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic sell tickets on their vehicles. For a few million dollars, orbital flight is possible. Today the Russian space agency sells rides on the Soyuz spacecraft and Axiom Space sells ride on the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. The Spaceflight Institute offers a Commercial Astronaut training and certificate that allows one to be hired for a space mission with the knowledge and skills required for spaceflight.

Only about 600 humans have had the chance to reach the Carman line in history. Outside of National Astronauts, there are currently only 7 FAA certified commercial astronauts in activity (source). Space agencies have cleared for spaceflight hundred of astronauts since Yuri Gagarin, but currently only about 150 are still in activity.

No! Astronauts are not fighter pilots, they need to have good enough vision to perform work in space. The FAA requires the same medical certificate as for commercial pilots (class 1 or 2)

It is a must to be in good shape, however, athlete-level physical condition is not required for spaceflight. Multiple astronauts flew in their sixties and John Glenn flew at age 77!

Our commercial astronaut training is divided into a knowledge part and the "Astronaut Bootcamp". Depending on your background, we consider 2 to 3 months a good time to go through the knowledge part. The Astronaut Bootcamp offers teams of 6 to 8 astronaut candidates a strong array of skills required for spaceflight. Depending on the class and modules chosen, this part can last anywhere between 2 and 4 months. More information here.

Training to be a commercial astronaut is not cheap, but can be extremely rewarding. We offer a few different modules and can supply accommodation and transportation. Therefore, we will need to discuss with you to supply pricing. Please reach out for more information.

Due to the high demand and the technical level and commitment required for the candidates, spots are very limited and subject to a strict selection, medical and psychological evaluation. Click here for more information on the selection process.