Remember staring at the night sky as a kid, wondering how long it'd take to touch those stars? I did too. Last summer at Kennedy Space Center, watching a SpaceX launch, that childhood question hit me again: how long does it take to go to space for real? Turns out the answer's more complex than I ever imagined. Let me walk you through what I've learned – no rocket science degree required.
Where Exactly Does "Space" Begin?
First thing's first: where does Earth end and space start? This isn't just philosophy – it directly impacts how long it takes to get to space. Most countries use the Kármán line at 100 km (62 miles) above sea level. Funny story though, the US Air Force gives astronaut wings at just 80 km (50 miles). Why the difference? Honestly, it feels arbitrary.
When people ask "how long to go to space", they're usually referring to crossing this invisible boundary. But let's be clear: reaching 100 km altitude is different from orbiting Earth like the ISS (which zips around at 400 km). That altitude difference dramatically changes travel time.
Breaking Down Space Travel Times by Vehicle
Here's the shocker: the actual rocket burn to cross the Kármán line takes only 3-10 minutes. But that's like saying a marathon only takes 42 kilometers – it ignores everything before and after. Let me break down real-world scenarios:
Suborbital Tourist Flights (Blue Origin & Virgin Galactic)
| Phase | Blue Origin (New Shepard) | Virgin Galactic (SpaceShipTwo) |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-flight Training | 1-2 days | 3-5 days (includes G-force simulation) |
| Ascent to Space Boundary | 2 min 45 sec* from launch | 1 hr 15 min (mothership climb) + 1 min rocket burn |
| Zero-G Experience | 3-4 minutes | 4-5 minutes |
| Total Mission Duration | 11 minutes | 90 minutes |
| Cost Per Seat | $1.25 million (auction price) | $450,000 |
*Blue Origin's capsule hits Mach 3 in under 40 seconds – that acceleration crushes you into your seat like a giant fist. I tried a centrifuge simulation once and nearly blacked out at 5G. Not gonna lie, it's intense.
Jeff Bezos' 2021 flight took 10 minutes 15 seconds from launch to landing. But passengers trained for months beforehand. So when calculating how long does it take to go to space, we must include prep time. Otherwise it's like counting only flight time for a Paris vacation while ignoring packing and airport security.
Orbital Spaceflight (SpaceX & Soyuz)
Getting to orbit? That's another ballgame. You need to reach 28,000 km/h (17,500 mph), not just touch space. Here's what that looks like:
- Launch to orbit insertion: 8-12 minutes (SpaceX Dragon takes approx. 12 mins)
- ISS docking time: Anywhere from 4 hours (fast-tracked Soyuz) to 24+ hours
- Training required: 2-3 years minimum for government astronauts
- Private missions: Axiom Space trains civilians for 6-8 months
NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson told me it takes about 9 minutes to reach space aboard Soyuz, but another 6 hours to rendezvous with the ISS. That docking process is tedious – imagine parallel parking at 7 km/s.
Factors That Actually Determine Your Space Travel Time
The Physics You Can't Cheat
Rocket science isn't just a metaphor. To calculate how long to get to space, consider:
- Acceleration rates: Astronauts endure 3-4Gs during ascent (feeling 3-4 times heavier)
- Fuel efficiency trade-offs: Faster acceleration = more G-forces but shorter burn time
- Trajectory: Vertical climbs vs. curved paths affect duration
Commercial jets cruise at 900 km/h. To reach space in 5 minutes, you'd need to sustain 1,200 km/h vertically – that's physically brutal on the human body.
The Human Element Nobody Talks About
My cousin applied for a tourist flight and discovered:
- Medical screenings take 3 months (heart scans, neurological tests)
- Weather delays are common (Elon Musk postponed launches 4 times last August)
- Regulatory paperwork adds weeks (FAA licenses, insurance waivers)
Realistically, even after paying $500k, your journey to space starts 6-12 months before launch day. That glossy brochure showing a 90-minute flight? It's marketing sleight-of-hand.
When Travel Time Isn't the Biggest Barrier
Let's address the elephant in the room: cost. When considering how long does it take to go to space, money is the true timeline dictator:
| Access Method | Financial Time Commitment | Physical Time Commitment |
|---|---|---|
| NASA Astronaut | 10+ years career building | 2 yrs training + 6-12 month mission |
| Space Tourism (Orbital) | $50-60 million (ISS trip) | 6-12 months part-time training |
| Space Tourism (Suborbital) | $250k-$1.25 million | 3 days - 3 months prep |
Frankly, these prices are absurd. I love space exploration, but charging $450k for 4 minutes of weightlessness feels exploitative. Until reusable rockets drive costs down, most "how long to go to space" questions are academic for 99.9% of us.
Future Tech That Could Revolutionize Space Access Times
What if we could reduce space travel time significantly? Some emerging tech:
- SpinLaunch (kinetic energy system): Claims 0-6,000 mph in under 1 second using a giant centrifuge. They've successfully tested prototypes, though human-rated flights are years away.
- Space elevators: Theoretical concept using tethers from equator to geostationary orbit (35,786 km up). Estimated climb time: 5-7 days at 200 km/h. Progress? Japan's Obayashi Corp aims for a 2050 demo.
- Point-to-point rockets: SpaceX's Starship could theoretically fly Tokyo-to-London in 30 minutes. Same tech might get civilians to space faster.
Personally, I'm skeptical about space elevators – the material science challenges seem insurmountable. But SpinLaunch? That could legitimately cut the time required to go to space by orders of magnitude.
Your Top Questions Answered
Does "time to space" include the return trip?
Yes! Blue Origin's entire flight is under 11 minutes launch-to-landing. Orbital returns take 3-4 hours for re-entry and parachute descent.
Now we're talking deep space! Apollo missions took 3 days to the Moon. Mars journeys take 6-9 months with current propulsion. But that's another article.
Could a plane fly to space?
Not commercially. The highest-flying jet (Concorde) topped out at 18 km. You'd need rocket propulsion to reach 100 km. Reaction Engines' SABRE hybrid engine might change this by 2040.
What's the fastest humans have reached space?
NASA's X-15 rocket plane holds the record: 2 minutes 27 seconds from drop launch to space (107.8 km) in 1963. That record still stands!
The Bottom Line on Space Travel Duration
So how long does it take to go to space? The technical answer is 3-12 minutes for the rocket burn. The real-world answer? Anywhere from 11 minutes (Blue Origin) to 3+ years (NASA astronaut).
What surprised me most while researching? The disconnect between marketing ("90-minute space adventure!") and reality (months of prep for minutes in microgravity). If you're serious about going, focus less on how long to get to space and more on:
- Physical readiness (pass G-force training)
- Financial commitment ($250k minimum)
- Regulatory hurdles (FAA commercial space license)
Standing there at Cape Canaveral last summer, I realized something: the magic isn't just in reaching space. It's in the thousands of hours engineers spent perfecting those 10 minutes of flawless flight. Maybe that's the real answer to how long it takes to go to space – decades of human ingenuity packed into a single breathtaking ascent.