Kennedy Space Center
NASA's launch site on Florida's Space Coast. The visitor complex has the Space Shuttle Atlantis, a Saturn V moon rocket and bus tours past the launch pads.
$77Adult day ticket, plus tax
Saturn VMoon rocket on show
You don't need a $750,000 rocket seat. These are the spaceports, observatories and dark skies anyone can visit, with how to book and what it costs.
Seven places, on four continents, where space stops being something you read about: launch sites you can tour, working observatories that open their doors, and skies dark enough to see the Milky Way in sharp detail.
NASA's launch site on Florida's Space Coast. The visitor complex has the Space Shuttle Atlantis, a Saturn V moon rocket and bus tours past the launch pads.
The purpose-built desert spaceport that is home to Virgin Galactic. Guided bus tours leave the Geronimo Trail Visitors Center in Truth or Consequences.
Europe's spaceport, where Ariane 6 and Vega-C rockets launch. Guided bus tours of the launch installations must be booked ahead, and launches can be watched free from public viewing sites.
Home of ESO's Very Large Telescope, on a mountaintop in one of the driest places on Earth. Guided tours run every Saturday at 10:00 and 14:00, last about three hours, and are free. Places are limited and booked only through ESO's online form.
Home of SALT, the largest single optical telescope in the southern hemisphere, with an 11-metre mirror. Day tours visit the research telescopes, and night tours let you look through the visitor telescopes. Booking is essential. Combine it with our South Africa guide.
A private nature reserve in Namibia's southern desert, and Africa's first International Dark Sky Reserve, awarded the top Gold tier in 2012.
Lake Tekapo, Lake Pukaki and Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, in the largest dark sky reserve in the Southern Hemisphere. Stargazing tours run from the lakeside towns.
The total solar eclipse of 2027 crosses southern Spain, North Africa and Egypt, with up to 6 minutes 22 seconds of totality near Luxor, the longest on land until 2114.
Sources: Kennedy Space Center prices (Florida Review), Sierra County Tourism, Routard (Kourou), ESO, SA Venues (SALT), Travel News Namibia and the Aoraki Mackenzie reserve, checked 14 October 2026. Confirm on the official site before you travel.
Want the rocket ride itself? See who flies paying passengers and our live status tracker.
Prefer deserts and craters that stand in for Mars? See our alien landscapes on Earth.