Space.com Senior Writer Mike Wall reports (in an article published on April 5, 2018) that the first luxury space hotel, The Aurora Station, is set to accommodate guests this coming 2022. Four years from now, luxury travelers are able to book lodgings in space, bringing their cravings of wanderlust and adventure to a whole new level. “We are launching the first-ever affordable luxury space hotel,” mentioned Orion Span founder and CEO Frank Bunger after presenting the idea of the new space station at the Space 2.0 Summit in San Jose California.
A 12-day stay aboard the Aurora Station is anticipated to cost $9.5 million. Mike Wall notes that this is a big improvement for orbital tourists who had paid $20-$40 million a pop for private visits to the International Space Station (ISS) between 2001 to 2009. Key engineers at Orion Span is set to build the Aurora Station straight out of Huston, Texas. It will the size of a large private jet, measuring at 43.5 feet long by 13.1 feet wide, orbiting at an altitude of 200 miles (320 kilometers).
The orbiting hotel can accommodate four paying guests and two crewmembers. Wall also reports that there are plans to expand the hotel over time, if Orion Span feels that the demand is growing bigger. “Our long-term vision is to sell actual space in those new modules. We’re calling that a space condo. So, either for living or subleasing, that’s the future vision here—to create a long-term, sustainable human habitation in LEO (low Earth orbit),” said Bunger to Space.com.
Fully refundable deposits to stay at the Aura Station is set at $80,000 and has begun this week. Space tourists will undergo a three-month training program. For more information visit www.orionspan.com
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By Chino R. Hernandez
Reference: Read Mike Wall’s original article at https://www.space.com/40207-space-hotel-launch-2021-aurora-station.html
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