ant your next holiday to be a little bit out of the ordinary? Have you always dreamed of being able to boldly go where not many people have been lucky to ever go before? The good news is that your dreams may soon become an achievable reality and that you will be able to spend your 2022 vacations in space circling the Earth’s orbit in the worlds (or outer worlds) space hotel.
The bad news is that you probably cannot afford it. Yes, according to a new US-based space technology start-up Orion Span, you will soon be able to stay in a hotel in space. The big caveat is that this will only be possible if you have around $10 million in loose change to spare on this 12-day getaway to the space hotel.
Sci-fi Or Reality?
With a $9.5 million price tag for the 12-day stay, it’s hard to understand how this venture makes space accessible to the masses, but Bunger and his team are intent on making holidaying in space a reality that the super-rich will soon be able to enjoy, at least.
“OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE SPACE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL. UPON LAUNCH, AURORA STATION GOES INTO SERVICE IMMEDIATELY, BRINGING TRAVELERS INTO SPACE QUICKLY AND AT A LOWER PRICE POINT THAN EVER SEEN BEFORE”.
Frank Bunger, CEO, and Founder of Orion Span
What Will $10 Million Get Me?
Well, as you can imagine, the 12-day space journey will feature some pretty special experiences in the space hotel.
Aside from the constant thrill of experiencing zero-gravity for the duration of your stay, lucky guests will get to see 16 sunrises and sunsets per day. This is because, at 200 miles above the Earth’s surface, the Aurora Station will orbit Earth every 90 minutes.
And guests will get some pretty exclusive views of both the northern and southern aurora.
If gazing back at Earth gets a little boring, the space hotel dwellers will also be able to play zero-gravity ping pong. And there will be a wireless internet connection, of course.
More Than a Holiday
As space travel is a little bit more strenuous than a week poolside, the space hotel guests will need to spend 3 months completing the Orion Span Astronaut Certification (OSAC) program before take-off.
Once all training is complete, the part-time astronauts will blast off into the Earth’s orbit in the 12 feet wide and 35 feet long Aurora Station. A shuttle that is more or less the same size as a private jet.
“WE’RE SELLING THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING AN ASTRONAUT”
Frank Bunger, CEO, and Founder of Orion Span
And while Orion Span is the only company looking to offer guests a space hotel by 2022, there are a couple of other companies competing to make space travel a very real holiday destination in the not too distant future.
Both Axiom Space and Virgin Galactic are hoping to offer some form of space travel to the general public in the coming years. Although with Virgin Galactic’s prices starting at around $250,000 for one of their sub-orbital trips, the days of space travel for the masses seem a long way away yet.
For those not content with just spending 12 days in space, Orion Span is also looking into the possibility of placing condominiums in space.
It looks as though space and the final frontier have never been closer, as long as you have the millions to afford it.
