Photo: Orbital Assembly Corporation
With all this talk about colonizing Mars and launching proper space tourism, should you be packing your bags? The answer depends on how much money you’ve got to spend.
Earlier this month, the first so-called hotel in space was getting major airtime. Called the Voyager Space Station, it was a space station by startup Orbital Assembly Corporation (OAC), an offshoot of The Gateway Foundation. In an investor presentation from a few weeks before, the OAC presented some very bold goals for what they called their space hotel, which would also be, should it be built, the largest man-made construction in space.
We talked about the Voyager in great detail in a cover story, including how it would generate artificial gravity by spinning, offer accommodation for up to 400 people (researchers, trained astronauts, and guests alike) in 24 modules, with a focus on luxury amenities, and the exact stages of the process. At the time, the OAC was raising funds, but New Atlas reports that the first round of investment has closed.
It also delivers more details on this space hotel, including a very important bit: pricing. Initially, The Gateway Foundation said that it hoped to deliver space vacations for everyone, including average Joes and Janes, along with their kids and relatives. The OAC now says that the first trips at least will come with a price to match the experience.
If this sounds like fancy-speak for “it’ll cost an arm and a leg,” it’s because it is. The exact price for a three-and-a-half-day stay in space on the station will be $5 million, by current estimates. On the bright side, for this kind of cash, you’ll get to see Beyonce perform live in space.
“You’re going to have the top chefs making really, really good food,” CEO John Blincow says. “And when you pay $5 million to go someplace, it’s not going to be burgers and fries... We want to have Sting come up and play, and Beyonce. There’ll be two shows every night… That’s part of the entertainment package.”
Also part of the package is the possibility to do stuff you can already do on Earth, like jog and play basketball or catch a movie in a movie theater. Or, if you’re into more space-y stuff, you can always go for a spacewalk.
We talked about the Voyager in great detail in a cover story, including how it would generate artificial gravity by spinning, offer accommodation for up to 400 people (researchers, trained astronauts, and guests alike) in 24 modules, with a focus on luxury amenities, and the exact stages of the process. At the time, the OAC was raising funds, but New Atlas reports that the first round of investment has closed.
It also delivers more details on this space hotel, including a very important bit: pricing. Initially, The Gateway Foundation said that it hoped to deliver space vacations for everyone, including average Joes and Janes, along with their kids and relatives. The OAC now says that the first trips at least will come with a price to match the experience.
If this sounds like fancy-speak for “it’ll cost an arm and a leg,” it’s because it is. The exact price for a three-and-a-half-day stay in space on the station will be $5 million, by current estimates. On the bright side, for this kind of cash, you’ll get to see Beyonce perform live in space.
“You’re going to have the top chefs making really, really good food,” CEO John Blincow says. “And when you pay $5 million to go someplace, it’s not going to be burgers and fries... We want to have Sting come up and play, and Beyonce. There’ll be two shows every night… That’s part of the entertainment package.”
Also part of the package is the possibility to do stuff you can already do on Earth, like jog and play basketball or catch a movie in a movie theater. Or, if you’re into more space-y stuff, you can always go for a spacewalk.
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