How the crypto checkout works
Blue Origin now lets customers pay for New Shepard suborbital flights with Bitcoin, Ether, Solana, and the dollar-pegged stablecoins USDT and USDC. The option went live on August 11, 2025, through a partnership with payments processor Shift4, which also enables direct payment from wallets like Coinbase and MetaMask. The company says the integration is available for upcoming commercial flights “starting today.”
Shift4 positions the move as a way to unlock demand from global crypto holders while keeping merchant settlement in U.S. dollars. The processor highlights always-on availability—useful for big-ticket, cross-border purchases such as space tourism—and notes that more than 75 people have already crossed the Kármán Line on New Shepard. The pitch even nods to helping “the first 1000 people” reach space faster.
Trade press quickly backed up the rollout. Payments Dive reported on August 12 that Shift4 has begun processing crypto for Blue Origin and confirmed the supported assets and wallet compatibility. Nasdaq’s press-release feed carried the same Business Wire announcement and timeline.
What you can use to book a seat
- Accepted assets: BTC, ETH, SOL, USDT, USDC
- Supported wallets: Coinbase and MetaMask for direct payments
- Availability: live now for upcoming New Shepard flights
- Settlement: Blue Origin receives funds in U.S. dollars; crypto enables 24/7/365 transactions
Why this matters for space tourism—and beyond
The timing adds momentum to a busy August for Blue Origin. On August 3, the company flew six passengers on mission NS-34—including TRON founder Justin Sun—marking New Shepard’s 14th human flight. That cadence signals growing confidence in suborbital tourism as the payment experience modernizes.
Zooming out, the tie-up fits a broader “aerospace meets blockchain” wave, from NFTs minted in orbit to satellite projects probing decentralized networks. If Blue Origin’s crypto rails run smoothly for high-value bookings, expect other luxury, cross-border experiences to follow the same playbook: accept a handful of liquid coins, authorize via familiar wallets, and settle in fiat. It’s a niche market today, but the payments pattern scales.
