How much does it cost to fly to space on a Blue Origin flight like Vietnamese-American Amanda Ngoc Nguyen’s?

In 2021, a seat on Blue Origin’s first crewed mission was auctioned for $28 million, The New York Times reported. The winning bidder ultimately deferred the flight due to scheduling conflicts, and the seat went to Dutch teenager Oliver Daemen, then 18, whose father was the runner-up.

Not all passengers, however, pay to fly. "Star Trek" actor William Shatner flew at no cost in October 2021 as a guest of the company, according to People.

"It’s not about money; it’s about who you are, your social capital, whether you align with their launch purposes. It’s kind of a package deal," Roman Chiporukha, co-founder of space travel firm SpaceVIP, told The Observer.

Blue Origin spokesperson Bill Kircos confirmed to CNN that "some passengers" on the April 14 mission flew "free of charge," while others paid. The company did not specify who paid.

While Blue Origin has not revealed its pricing, competitor Virgin Galactic has priced its suborbital trips between US$200,000 and US$450,000, according to the Associated Press.

The all-female crew of Blue Origin’s New Shepard mission on April 14, 2025, with the spacecraft in the background. Photo courtesy of Blue Origin

Anyone over 18 can apply for a Blue Origin flight by completing a form on the company’s website. No prices are listed, but the form states that a fully refundable deposit of US$150,000 is required to begin the order process. The selection process remains unclear, and a disclaimer notes that submitting the form "does not guarantee you a seat on a future New Shepard flight."

The company’s first crewed flight launched in 2021, carrying its founder Jeff Bezos, Bezos's brother Mark, Wally Funk, Shatner, and Daemen. Blue Origin paused crewed flights for nearly two years after a 2022 mission failure. The latest flight on April 14, 2025, was the first since Feb. 25, 2025.

To date, 52 people have flown with Blue Origin above the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space.

The April 14 mission marked Blue Origin’s 11th crewed flight out of 31 total launches and was the first all-female crewed spaceflight in over 60 years.

The six-member crew included pop star Katy Perry, media personality Lauren Sanchez—Bezos's fiancée —CBS host Gayle King, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, Vietnamese-American activist Amanda Ngoc Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn.

The flight was the first women-only mission since Valentina Tereshkova’s historic solo orbit in 1963, when she became the first woman in space.

 

 

How much does it cost to fly to space on a Blue Origin flight like Vietnamese-American Amanda Ngoc Nguyen’s?

Katy Perry và phi hành đoàn toàn nữ trong tổ hợp tàu New Shepard