Space: The Future of Hotels

Anyone looking to book a hotel room off this planet is in for some good news. Orion Span, a Houston startup is looking to launch an extraterrestrial space hotel in 2021 with plans to fully open it for business in the following year. The company made its announcement in San Jose, California, during the recent Space 2.0 Summit.

The building, christened “Aurora Station,” is planned to house up to six occupants and two crew members. The site will orbit 200 miles from Earth’s surface, completing a full revolution every 90 minutes. Adventurous travelers with money to burn can book a room for the low, low cost of $9.5 million a head. While that cost covers 12 “nights,” it seems doubtful that it would incorporate room service or a minibar.

Frank Bunger, Orion Span’s CEO, described the project as a way for civilians to experience the sort of life of an astronaut. Anyone looking to book a room will be required to pursue a three-month training routine before launching into space. Said training consists of online classes and on-site training in Houston. Orion Span plays to streamline the two-year training process down to three months. The company’s spacecraft will be 34 feet in length by 14 feet wide, roughly the same dimensions as a private jet. Beyond the obvious chance to live in a zero-G environment, guests can observe 16 sunrises each day, perform experimental research and even enjoy a VR holodeck.

While several companies have come forward with concepts for space tourism, orbital hotels are not that much of a creative leap. The fact that Orion Span has yet to establish a contract with a launch provider brings extra scrutiny to its aggressive timeline for Aurora Station. Some belief that Orion Span’s announcement is a ploy to draw funding and interest instead of speaking from a position of plausibility.

Orion Span’s employees include several former employees of NASA with experience working on the International Space Station. Bunger remarked that Aurora Station’s design will incorporate the same launch functionality as SpaceX and he is not against working with government space agencies. While Orion Span failed to disclose how much capital is being raised for Aurora Station, Bunger believes that costs will lower as time progresses.

For anyone looking to reserve a room on Aurora Station, Orion Span is allowing interested parties the option of leaving an $80,000 deposit through its website.

Ref: https://www.popsci.com/tags/space-hotels