Ever thought of chilling out on the Moon or frying burgers over in Mars while you catch up with some much-needed R&R? Do you want to go up close and stare at Saturn’s rings? All that is yet to become reality in our lifetime but, for now it is a luxury hotel in low-Earth orbit. so, get ready for a space vacation.
A Silicon Valley startup, Orion Span, made this big announcement this week that they will open a luxury hotel in low-Earth orbit by 2022.
The only hitch, which is astronomical in proportion to the space hotel, named Aurora Station, is the trip cost per person.
According to a media report published in 2017, the world’s most expensive hotel suite was at the Hotel President Wilson in Geneva, Switzerland, where rates start from approximately $80,000 (nearly Rs 52 lakh at current exchange rate) per night.
Whereas in Aurora Station, which would be 200 miles (321 km) above Earth, only the room reservation price is $80,000, the 12-day stay would cost you staggering $9.5 million (Rs 61.6 crore) per person!
But, it will not be for nothing. “The experience entails, growing food in space, running science experiments, doing astronaut certification,” Orion Span CEO, Frank Bunger told the media.
Growing food in space and running science experiments may sound interesting to some, but, one will get to experience much more than that.
Space tourists will get to witness luminous auroras, sunrises and sunsets – 12 times every day.
But, the cherry on top would be to see our blue planet Earth as a whole against the blackness of space.
According to the company, the orbiting inn will be able to accommodate four guests at a time and two crew members. The construction of one of its modules will begin in 2019.
The company plans to launch it into orbit by late 2021 and additional modules could be attached later, Bunger said.
It should be noted here that, this wouldn’t be the first time a private individual went into space. Between 2001 and 2009, seven “private astronauts” rode Russian-made Soyuz rockets to the International Space Station for brief stays.
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