Orion Span, a Houston-based space company, plans on building the first-ever luxury hotel in space. They plan on finishing construction by 2021 and welcome guests the following year. Soon, they will start selling condos is space as well.
The package will include four guests and two crew members aboard a space station called the Aurora. It is touted to be about 35 feet long and 14 feet across, according to a release put out by the company. The trip will be 12 days long and in this time, travelers will see a whopping 284 sunrises and sunsets.
"We developed Aurora Station to provide a turnkey destination in space. Upon launch, Aurora Station goes into service immediately, bringing travelers into space quicker and at a lower price point than ever seen before, while still providing an unforgettable experience," said Frank Bunger, chief executive officer and founder of Orion Span.
"Orion Span has additionally taken what was historically a 24-month training regimen to prepare travelers to visit a space station and streamlined it to three months, at a fraction of the cost. Our goal is to make space accessible to all, by continuing to drive greater value at lower cost."
The company is calling the Aurora a fully modular space station that could possibly be updated in the years following its launch. As of now, the price that each passenger will have to pay starts at $9.5 million, says Orion Span. To get a place in the hotel, prospective travelers have been asked to put down a deposit of $80,000 per ticket. The release says that this deposit is fully refundable.
Travelers will have access to high speed internet connectivity, a chance to fly over the northern and southern lights, spot their towns from space, peer over the approximately 16 sunrises every day– one every 90 minutes. Guests aboard the station can also participate in science experiments. They will also be allowed to float freely throughout the station and grow vegetables in space, which they can then take back as a souvenir. Virtual reality holodecks have also been planned.
Prior to launch all travelers will have to take part in and complete a three month Orion Span Astronaut Certification (OSAC).
"Aurora Station is incredibly versatile and has multiple uses beyond serving as a hotel," Bunger added. "We will offer full charters to space agencies who are looking to achieve human spaceflight in orbit for a fraction of the cost – and only pay for what they use. We will support zero gravity research, as well as in space manufacturing. Our architecture is such that we can easily add capacity, enabling us to grow with market demand like a city growing skyward on Earth.
"We will later sell dedicated modules as the world's first condominiums in space. Future Aurora owners can live in, visit, or sublease their space condo. This is an exciting frontier and Orion Span is proud to pave the way."
