Space Force Basic Training and PT Test (2026): Length, Location and Standards
Space Force basic training lasts 7.5 weeks at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas, the only Basic Military Training site for both the Air Force and the Space Force. Since June 16, 2026, Space Force trainees have their own squadron there, the 535th Training Squadron. The Space Force PT test is now the Human Performance Assessment, scored out of 100 points with 75 needed to pass. Many guides still describe the older 80-point version.
Here is how Space Force BMT works in 2026, what is different from Air Force BMT, and exactly what the PT test asks of you.
Space Force basic training at a glance
| Space Force BMT | |
|---|---|
| Length | 7.5 weeks (arrival week is Week Zero) |
| Location | Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas |
| Squadron | 535th Training Squadron, activated June 16, 2026 |
| Space Force classroom time | 21 hours |
| Graduation | The seventh Thursday after arrival |
| Next | Technical training, which typically starts the day after graduation |
What is different about Space Force BMT now
Guardians have trained alongside Airmen at Lackland for years. In 2026 the Space Force gave BMT its own unit. On June 16, 2026, Space Training and Readiness Command activated the 535th Training Squadron, which it describes as the Space Force's first Basic Military Training squadron. Space Force trainees are assigned to Space Force flights in the 535th, and they are housed with the Air Force's 326th Training Squadron.
The squadron's stated goal is a distinct Space Force BMT experience with an updated curriculum for new Guardians. SpaceForce.com lists 21 hours of classroom instruction covering emotional intelligence, Space Force structure and senior leader briefings on military doctrine, on top of physical training and testing.
The BMT timeline
- Week Zero: arrival and processing. The Air Force counts arrival week as Week Zero, not Week One.
- Weeks 1 to 5: the core of training, with classroom instruction and physical training. The gas chamber is in week four.
- Week 6: PACER FORGE, the BMT field exercise, and the end-of-course written exam on Saturday of that week.
- Graduation week: the Airman's Run, a 1.5-mile run where families first see their trainee, then the coin ceremony, where graduates receive the Airman or Guardian coin. Trainees typically ship to technical training the day after graduation.
Expect limited phone access: BMT says trainees do not have daily access to their phones. For the full week-by-week BMT schedule, see how long Air Force basic training is.
Fitness at Space Force BMT
The BMT FAQ says the PT test there includes timed push-ups, sit-ups and a 2-mile run, plus a waist-to-height ratio check, scored to Air Force standards for age and sex. A trainee who cannot meet the fitness requirements after being given time to improve may be discharged. The Space Force manual says new accessions, including BMT and technical school, follow the fitness standards of their training program, and your first official Space Force fitness test is due in the sixth month after you arrive at your first duty station.
We found no published pre-ship fitness test with minimum scores for Space Force recruits, and BMT's own advice is to arrive already fit. Show up able to run 2 miles comfortably and do solid sets of push-ups and sit-ups, and BMT becomes about learning, not surviving.
The Space Force PT test in 2026
The Space Force fitness test is the Human Performance Assessment (HPA), governed by SPFMAN 36-2905 (September 26, 2025, incorporating Change 3 of April 24, 2026). It has three components, taken in this order with at least five minutes of rest between them:
| Component | Your options |
|---|---|
| Muscular strength (20 points) | 1-minute push-ups or 2-minute hand-release push-ups |
| Muscular endurance (20 points) | 1-minute sit-ups, 2-minute cross-leg reverse crunch, or timed forearm plank |
| Cardiorespiratory fitness (60 points) | 2-mile run or 20-meter HAMR shuttle; a 2-kilometer walk (pass or fail) only if you are not medically cleared to run |
- Passing: a composite score of at least 75 out of 100, plus the minimum in every component.
- Categories: Fit to Fight is 90 to 100, Health Maintenance is 75 to 89.9, and Health Concern is below 75 or any component minimum missed.
- How often: every six months, no sooner than five and no later than seven months after your last scored test. At least one of the two tests each year has to use the 2-mile run.
- If you fail: a Health Concern score means a retest in three months, and you have to enroll in the Fitness Improvement Program within 10 duty days.
- Scoring charts: the points for each age and sex group live in the official HPA calculator in myFitness, which requires a login. There is no public official chart, so treat third-party score charts as unofficial.
Since February 2026, fitness scores also appear on officer and enlisted performance briefs.
Body composition is separate
Body composition is not scored in the HPA. It is a separate assessment done twice a year. The standard is a waist-to-height ratio below 0.55. If yours is 0.55 or higher, your body fat must be no more than 26 percent for men or 36 percent for women. Check yours with our waist-to-height ratio calculator.
What happened to the wearables test?
In 2023 the Space Force began a voluntary study that used wearable devices in place of a traditional fitness test. That exemption is over: effective January 1, 2026, every Guardian takes two HPAs a year whether or not they are enrolled in the study.
Space Force vs Air Force PT test
The exercise menu is the same as the Air Force test: push-ups or hand-release push-ups, a core event, and a 2-mile run or HAMR. The scoring is not. The Space Force puts 60 of its 100 points on cardio, does not score your waist inside the HPA, and requires the 2-mile run at least once a year. The Air Force test scores body composition as part of the test. If you are going Air Force, use our Air Force PT test calculator; its scores do not convert to the Space Force HPA.
A note on SpaceForce.com: its fitness page still describes a "PFRA" with a different point split and a BMI-based score. The governing document is the SPFMAN 36-2905 manual, and that is what this guide follows.
How to prepare
- Make weight first. SpaceForce.com says recruits are screened on a BMI range of 19 to 27.5, with a body fat measurement if you are above 27.5, and maximum body fat of 26 percent for men and 36 percent for women.
- Build to a strong 2-mile run. It is 60 percent of the HPA score, and it is part of the BMT test too.
- Practice the exact push-up you will test. If you choose hand-release push-ups, learn the standard: our hand-release push-up guide covers the form.
- Train the core event you will choose. Sit-ups, the cross-leg reverse crunch and the forearm plank reward different training, so pick one early and practice it.
After BMT
Graduates go straight to technical training for their job. SpaceForce.com lists enlisted careers including Space Systems Operator, Cyber Operations, and several intelligence fields such as Signals Intelligence Analyst, All Source Analyst and Geospatial Intelligence Analyst.
Sources: Basic Military Training, FAQ; 535th Training Squadron; JBSA, August 18, 2026; STARCOM via DVIDS, June 16, 2026; SpaceForce.com, Training; SpaceForce.com, Enlisted Guardians; BMT graduation schedule of events; SPFMAN 36-2905, Change 3, April 24, 2026; Space Force, January 6, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is Space Force basic training?
Seven and a half weeks at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas. Arrival week counts as Week Zero, and trainees graduate on the seventh Thursday after they arrive.
Where is Space Force basic training?
Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, the only Basic Military Training site for both the Air Force and the Space Force. Since June 16, 2026, Space Force trainees belong to the 535th Training Squadron, the service's first BMT squadron.
Is Space Force basic training different from Air Force basic training?
It shares the same base, length and core events, but Guardians now train in Space Force flights under the 535th Training Squadron with an updated curriculum, including 21 hours of Space Force classroom instruction.
What is the Space Force PT test?
The Human Performance Assessment (HPA): push-ups or hand-release push-ups, then sit-ups, cross-leg reverse crunches or a forearm plank, then a 2-mile run or the 20-meter HAMR. It is scored out of 100 points and you need at least 75 plus every component minimum.
How often do Guardians take the PT test?
Every six months, in a window from five to seven months after the last scored test. A score below 75 means retesting in three months, and at least one of the two tests each year has to use the 2-mile run.
Is body composition part of the Space Force PT test?
No. Body composition is a separate assessment done twice a year. The standard is a waist-to-height ratio under 0.55; at 0.55 or higher, body fat must be no more than 26 percent for men or 36 percent for women.
