Have you grown up watching movies of the Star Wars franchise? The world of Jedi knights, droids, lightsabers, and others eventually spawned into an empire of pop culture references. The franchise has also been responsible for instilling the idea of space travel and hotels in space in the mind of the huge fanbase.
With the commercialization of space travel, the common people can turn their dream of traveling to space true. The Covid-19 pandemic has been ruining the travel plans of many. To compensate for the years of canceled travel plans, people can explore the option of space travel.
The concept of hotels being built in space is grabbing attention for all the right reasons. While space tourism achieved many landmarks in 2021, the plans of hotels in space no longer make space tourism an unfathomable reality. Browse through this article to know more about the plans of hotels in space.
Aurora Station: The First Space Hotel
The competition of running a hotel on Earth is too much considering the numerous hotels that have popped up in various corners of the world. Therefore, Orion Span is set to open a hotel in space and stay ahead of the competition. The hotel will be called Aurora Station and is getting ready to accommodate space tourists from 2022.
The name has been inspired by the Aurora lights that brighten up the Earth’s polar skies. The plan for the space hotel was announced during the Space 2.0 Summit happening in San Jose, California. The trip will span across 12 days, accommodating four travelers and two crew members at a time.
The guests will orbit around the Earth 16 times a day. Therefore, the travelers will experience a sunrise and a sunset after every ninety minutes. Undoubtedly, the view is going to be spectacular from one of the first luxury hotels in space located 200 miles above the surface of the Earth.
What are the costs of staying at Aurora Station?
The hotel has been a huge development in the space tourism industry. With a reservation fee of $9.5 million, people can stay at Aurora Station. The hotel is already sold out for the first four months of travel, requiring a deposit of $8 million.
The space hotel is also accepting cryptocurrencies as payments. The price might seem quite hefty. But it’s quite low, considering early estimations of $20 to $40 million per guest. People securing early reservations will undergo an Orion Span Astronaut Certification program for three months.
The certification program will make them eligible for space tourism plans in the future. The first phase of the program will include basics such as using the bathroom and eating while staying in the space hotel. The second phase of the training program will take place at the Texas headquarters of Orion Span. The last phase of the certification program revolves around on-job training after getting into Aurora Station.
The appearance of Aurora Station
Aurora Station will be around the size of a large cabin in a private jet. It will measure 13..3 by 4.3 meters. The space hotel will have a pressurized volume of 160 cubic meters. Aurora will be a cozy and comfortable place for space tourists.
But it is not going to be as comfortable as the International Space Station. The International Space Station is 109 meters long. The pressurized volume inside the International Space Station is 916 cubic meters.
Key features of the Aurora Station
Here are some of the key features of Aurora Station, that you should know about:
- Lightning fast internet: High-speed internet is going to be one of the biggest advantages of the Aurora Station. It will ensure that the travelers are able to share their experience of space tourism with people on the Earth.
- Gourmet food: Cooking in zero gravity is dangerous. But Aurora Station will draw a middle ground between Earth food and astronaut diet. Professional chefs will be working to make food as gourmet as possible.
- Unique showering options: With zero gravity, space tourists will have to use the bathroom and shower as astronauts do in space. Space tourists need to get accustomed to showering out of large plastic bags.
Voyager Station: A luxury space hotel
Orbital Assembly Corporation is all set to take space tourism another step forward. The company owned by John Blincow, a former pilot, will open a space hotel by 2027. The Voyager Station will work on a commercial scale with 280 guests and 112 crew members at a time.
The company is ready to prove that the golden age of space tourism is lurking around the corner. As space tourism has piqued the interest of Elon Musk, Blincow wants to work with SpaceX in the future. Know about some of the key features of Voyager Station below.
How can people sleep inside Voyager Station?
The concept of people sleeping within a space hotel resembles the physics of water spinning inside a bucket. One can spin a bucket and still keep the water inside it. The Voyager Station will deal with gravity in a similar manner, making space tourism as comfortable as possible.
Food and recreational activities inside the Voyager Station
The Voyager Station will be a complete package for space tourists by including a bar and restaurant. The hotel will serve traditional space food like dried ice cream.
Some recreational activities like basketball games are also in the plans. With weightlessness in the environment, players will be able to soar higher. Even Michael Jordan will face tough competition in space.
The luxury hotel is also planning to include a gym, concert hall and even a cinema hall.
Room rate on Voyager Station
Voyager Station hasn’t declared fixed room rates as of now. But the expense is likely to be quite steep. But the hotel has assured the public that the cost will eventually decrease. The cost of staying at Voyager Station will gradually become similar to buying a cruise ticket.
Structure of Voyager Station
Voyager Station will focus on the concept of the rotating wheel. They will produce artificial gravity to prevent space tourists from floating around. The centrifugal force created by artificial gravity will enable the space tourists to move almost normally.
- Initially, the gravity will be similar to that of the Moon. The gravity of the Moon is around one-sixth of the Earth’s. It roughly amounts up to one a half revolutions every minute.
- But Voyager Station is hoping to spin the gravity up to the level of Mars. The gravity level of Mars is around one-third of the Earth’s gravity. Voyager Station will gradually resemble the weight that’s felt on Earth.
- People with disabilities won’t have too many physical barriers in the Voyager Station. On the other hand, people with able-bodies will boast of outstanding athletic feats on the Voyager Station.
Space tourists will arrive at a zero-gravity decking hub after they are launched from the Earth. Elevator shafts will carry the tourists to the habitation modules. The habitation modules are arranged around the circumference of the circular hotel.
Only at the edge of the circular space hotel the centrifugal force will be syringe enough to keep the guests on the ground. The 24 habitation modules in the space hotel will occupy a total space of 125,000 square feet. The spectacular view while tourists graze out of the windows will be a key attraction for the space tourists.
Final thoughts
With hotels in space coming into the picture, space tourism will become more fathomable for the common people. Stories of friends and relatives going into space will become a dinner table conversation topic. The advancement of technology is also likely to lower the cost of space tourism and make it a profitable industry.
