A company called Orion Span plans to open a space hotel in 2022, with stays starting at US$9.5 million (about £6.7 million) per person.
Aurora Station is set to be complete in 2021 and will feature room for up to six guests at a time, including two crew members. The experience including journey time will last around 12 days, with Orion Span saying the stay will allow guests to live like astronauts.
The company is now taking reservations for a deposit of $80,000 – which Orion Span stipulates is refundable if the guest changes their mind. Deposits will be held with a “trusted third party escrow service” and cannot be moved without guest approval.
Orion Span says the station will have suites that can fit two people for those lucky enough to be able to afford a couples’ retreat in space.
CEO Frank Bunger told Forbes that the $9.5 million price tag for stays on Aurora Station are around half of what individuals have paid for trips to the International Space Station, which clocks in at a whopping $20 million to $40 million.
Bunger also said prospective guests would have to train for the experience, which includes a month-long online course and four to six weeks of training in Houston, Texas, before the journey to the station.
orionspan.com