Orion Span is a space tourism company best known for its planned space hotel, the Aurora Space Station. It is one of several private companies aiming to provide commercial space travel in the near future. It has one of the most exciting propositions of all, offering the opportunity to enjoy an extended stay in space. In this article, you will learn more about the project, the expected cost of a space flight, and the hotel’s features.

Table of Contents:

What is Space Tourism?

The term ‘space tourism’ describes the activity of traveling into space, for leisure purposes. Crucially, space tourists are paying customers, rather than trained astronauts. So far, space tourism has only been successfully provided by the Russian Space Agency, but these activities stopped in 2010.

Since that time, several private companies have proposed various forms of commercial space travel, with examples including Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, and an especially exciting proposal from Orion Span.

For more information about Space Tourism, you can read in the article “Space Tourism: 5 Space Companies That Will Make You An Astronaut”.

What is Orion Span?

Founded by Frank Bunger, Orion Span is an aerospace company based in California. The company is focused on orbital space flight. In 2018, it announced its flagship concept, the Aurora Space Station, which it hopes will provide one of the most popular and exciting space tourism opportunities.

In simple terms, the idea is that the Aurora Space Station will be placed into orbit, and then function as a kind of space hotel, where tourists can stay and experience life in outer space.

The company’s proposal was outlined at the Space 2.0 Conference in San Jose, California. Bunger envisions the Aurora Space Station being a pill-shaped structure, roughly the size of a large private jet. Once operational, it will combine elements of a space station and more traditional hotel accommodation.

According to the plans, paying customers will be taken around 200 miles above the Earth’s surface and will spend 12 days in the space hotel per trip. The Aurora Space Station itself will be able to cater for six people in total, with each party consisting of two crew members and four space tourists.

Video: Orion Span Launches First Ever Space Hotel in 2021

 

Video: More extensive Information About Orion Span and it’s Space Hotel

 

What Does the Orion Span Space Hotel Cost?

Unlike some space tourism companies, Orion Span has proposed a clear pricing strategy. He claims to already have a seven-month waiting list, which will likely grow significantly in the coming years. Presently, trips to the space hotel will start from around $9.5m per person – amounting to somewhere in the region of £7m.

Food and additional services will likely cost extra. A place on the waiting list requires an $80,000 deposit.

4 Other Promising Space Tourism Companies

1. Virgin Galactic

Richard Branson forms part of the Virgin Group’s own virgin Galactic. It is targeting sub-orbital space tourism and has already successfully put one of its space planes into outer space. The company is hoping to offer regular space flights in the near future and already has an extensive waiting list of potential passengers. You can read more detailed information about Virgin Galactic in the article “Virgin Galactic: Information About Virgin Space Flights”.

2. SpaceX

Elon Musk’s SpaceX company has also achieved significant feats related to space flight and is aiming to provide commercial space travel in the near future. Unlike Virgin Galactic, however, SpaceX’s aims include return trips around the moon and commercial trips to Mars. You can read more detailed information about SpaceX in the article “SpaceX Information: Rockets, Spacecrafts and Spaceflights”.

3. Blue Origin

Often regarded as Virgin Galactic’s main competition for sub-orbital space tourism, Blue Origin is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Although the company does not yet have an active waiting list, it has performed some preliminary test flights and is aiming to be able to take small groups to space and back in the coming years. For more detailed information about Blue Origin, you can readthe article “Blue Origin: Information About Blue Origin Space Flights”.

4. The Boeing Company

Finally, the Boeing Company has also emerged as a contender in the race to deliver affordable space flights. The organization has an agreement with NASA, which sees the Boeing Company manufacture crew vehicles for the space agency. As part of the agreement, Boeing secured the right to sell seats to paying customers.

Space Flight: Book Tickets With Orion Span and Other Companies

Orion Span’s proposal for a luxury hotel on the Aurora Space Station is one of the fascinating space tourism ideas to date, but several other companies are also coming up with concepts of their own, including SpaceX and Virgin Galactic. So what is the process like for actually booking commercial space flight tickets?

Check out “Space Flight: How to Book a Ticket into Space” for more information on the various space tourism proposals out there and how you can book your seat for the journey of a lifetime.

Orion Span: Book Your Stay in the Luxury Space Hotel

To date, Orion Span’s proposed luxury space hotel on the Aurora Space Station is the most concrete overnight accommodation option any private aerospace company puts forward. Of course, as a consequence, there is already significant demand for bookings, but the good news is, you can already make a reservation.

Take a look at “Space Hotel: How to Book a Hotel in Space” for additional info on how to reserve your place at the hotel, along with details on the main alternative option, which involves staying at the International Space Station.

Orion Span, Space Tourism, and the Space Industry

Over the years, the space industry has evolved from primarily focused on exploration and scientific research to its current state, where companies are looking to provide space travel to paying customers for pleasure. Understanding this evolution can help to put the proposals from Orion Span into a clearer context.

To learn more about the history of the space industry, the state of play today, the role of space tourism, and the other major aerospace companies, read “Space Industry: The No. 1 Guide into Space!”

The First Space Tourist: Space Tourism Before Orion Span

The Orion Span concept for a space hotel may sound like something from a science fiction novel, but overnight stays in space from paying customers have already happened. The first example was American millionaire Dennis Tito, who spent over a week in space after visiting the International Space Station thanks to the Russian Space Agency.

You can read more about Dennis Tito’s trip, how he convinced the Russian Space Agency to take him, and his status as the world’s first space tourist by reading “Space Tourist: Who Was the First Tourist in Space?”

The concept of space tourism may sound like the work of a science fiction writer, but it is close to becoming a reality. While several private enterprises have proposals in this area, Orion Span has one of the most exciting and innovative plans – establishing a space hotel, which will be placed in orbit around the Earth.

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This article is written by:

Martijn Barten

Hi, I am Martijn Barten, founder of Revfine.com. With 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, I specialize in optimizing revenue by combining revenue management with marketing strategies. I have successfully developed, implemented, and managed revenue management and marketing strategies for individual properties and multi-property portfolios.