How to Make an Origami Spaceship

Co-authored by Coco Sato and Hunter Rising

Last Updated: November 27, 2024 References

Origami is a fun way to make art just by folding paper. If you want a cool paper spaceship, you can make one at home as long as you have some folding skills. While a spaceship can be a little complex to make, you'll have a fun paper toy that you can pilot around the galaxy!

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Making the Initial Folds

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1
Place a paper in landscape orientation, then fold it in half horizontally. Use US Letter size paper (11 x 8.5”) or A5 (21 x 29.7 cm) printer paper. Set the piece of paper on a flat surface in front of you so the long edges are on the sides. Fold the paper in half lengthwise so it looks like a hot dog bun. Make sure the edges and corners line up before you crease your fold. ^{[1]
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- As you make each fold, run your fingernail or a creasing tool, such as a bone folder, along the crease. This will make each fold sharp and crisp, giving a clean, professional-finished shape.
Tip: Use construction paper if you want to make a colored spaceship.
2
Bring to top right corner toward the left side of the paper. Make sure your piece of paper is vertical before moving on. Grab the top right corner and fold it toward you. Line up the top edge with the left side of the paper underneath. Press along the folded edge to crease it. Your piece of paper should look like a rectangle with a triangle on top. ^{[2]
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- Take your time to make sure the edges are lined up when you fold your paper. If you crease the paper and the edges are misaligned, your spaceship may not fold together as easily.
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3
Fold the point on the top left toward the top right corner. Take the top corner of the triangle and fold it over onto the piece of paper. Line up the folded corner with the top right corner to make a smaller triangle. Press down along the fold to make a crease. ^{[3]
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- The edge that you folded over should form a straight line on the bottom of the triangle.
Rotate the paper 180-degrees so the triangle you just made points toward you. Fold the top right corner so the edge lines up with the left side of the paper. Then, fold the point of the triangle down so it’s lined up with the top right corner. Make sure to press along the folds to crease them. ^{[4]
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5
Unfold the paper to reveal the creases. Undo the triangles you just made and flatten the paper out again. You should see creases forming an X-shape on each side of the paper. ^{[5]
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- If the creases aren’t visible, try folding the paper again and press down harder along the edges.
6
Pinch the sides of each X to form triangle bases. With the piece of paper vertical, grab the left and right sides of the creases with your thumb and index finger. Pinch your fingers together and pull the top edge of the paper over them. As you fold, the sides will collapse inside and a triangle. Turn the paper around and do the same to the other side. ^{[6]
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- If you have trouble pinching the sides in, fold the top edge of the paper so the crease goes through the center of the X. Unfold the paper and try pinching it again.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Finishing the Spaceship Body

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Position the paper on your table so the triangle on the bottom is pointing toward you. Take the left corner of the top triangle and fold it over so the edge lines up with the point in the middle. Repeat the process with the right corner of the triangle to make a diamond shape. ^{[7]
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2
Flip the paper over and fold the long sides onto the center. Turn your paper over so your folds are face down. Grab the long edge of the paper and fold it so it lines up with the top point of the triangle. Press the fold firmly to form a crease. Take the opposite side of the paper and fold the edge so it lines up in the center. Each fold should look like a long trapezoid. ^{[8]
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- Don’t fold over the corners of the other triangle.
3
Turn over the paper and bring the triangle base toward the diamond shape. When you’re finished folding the bottom of the paper, flip it over so the triangles are face up. Bend the triangle over the top until the point of the triangle is about ¹ ⁄ ₂ inch (1.3 cm) from the bottom of the diamond. Crease the fold so it stays in place. ^{[9]
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- If the fold doesn’t want to stay after you press with your finger, try going over it again with your thumbnail or the side of a pen to flatten it.
There should be a fold between the top and bottom triangle you just folded over. Lift open the flaps of the diamond shape and put their corners into the fold between your triangles. This will help hold your origami spaceship together and adds a cool angular design. ^{[10]
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Tip: If your ship still doesn’t hold together once the flaps are tucked in, apply a small dot of glue to the flaps to secure them in place.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Adding the Final Touches

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1
Fold the edges of the top-most piece to make the windows of your spaceship. Take one of the edges of the triangle that’s on top of the spaceship and fold it so it lines up with the point. Crease the paper slightly so it comes up at a slight angle. Fold the other side of the top triangle so the center edges are aligned. ^{[11]
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- These folds will look like windows on your spaceship’s cockpit.
2
Bend the tips of the wings up. Locate the 2 wings on the back of the ship. Grab the end of the wing and fold it back about ¹ ⁄ ₂ in (1.3 cm). Make sure the back edge stays lined up so the folds form triangles. Repeat the process on the other side to add points to your wings and make your spaceship look faster. ^{[12]
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- You can also keep the wings straight if you want.
Slightly bend the edge on the back of the ship up so it looks like tailfins. You can also hold onto the back edge of the ship to play with it and pretend that it’s flying. ^{[13]
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Question

How do I make nice crisp folds when making origami?

Coco Sato
Origamist and Contemporary Artist
Coco Sato is an Origamist and Contemporary Artist based in Brighton, UK. She is an award-winning contemporary artist specializing in origami and geometric sculptures. With a multidisciplinary practice encompassing sculpture, performance, psychology, and geometry, she explores shifting perspectives through the intricate art of origami. Coco’s work bridges cultures by combining traditional Japanese aesthetics with contemporary concepts, inviting audiences to reconsider their relationship with the world.

Coco Sato

Origamist and Contemporary Artist

Expert Answer

To achieve those crisp, professional-looking folds, make sure that your paper edges are perfectly aligned. This step is really important because even a tiny misalignment can change the whole look of your design. Once your paper is lined up, press gently along the fold with your finger. Then, use your fingernail to go over the crease to make it sharper and neater. If you want folding to get even easier, you can use tools. A good tool for pressing folds is a bone folder and you can obtain one at craft or stationery stores. If you don't have this tool, there are many other things you probably have around the house that you could use. Many household items can serve as effective substitutes. A ruler, the flat side of a butter knife, or even the edge of a credit card can be used to create sharp, precise folds. The key to crisp folds is to take your time and don't rush—focus on making each fold as precise as possible.

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How can I make it large?

MattTheWaffleCat

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Use large paper. The larger the paper, the larger the spaceship; the smaller the paper, the smaller the spaceship.

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What size and type of paper should be used?

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Printer paper would do well with this. The printer pager already has a set size. If you like, you can also print designs on it before use.

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Look online for other spaceship designs if you want to try more complicated origami patterns.

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Things You’ll Need

Letter-sized piece of paper

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How to Make an Origami Spaceship

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Making the Initial Folds

Finishing the Spaceship Body

Adding the Final Touches

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