Space tourism is already a reality, and we could soon live in a world where regular commercial space travel exists too. Alongside this, one of the most intriguing possibilities is that you may have the chance to stay overnight in a space hotel. In this article, we take a look at some of the potential offerings and explain how you can already book a place.

Table of Contents:

Space Tourism Explained

Before explaining the process of booking a space hotel, it may be useful to gain a deeper understanding of what space tourism is, how it has developed, and exactly who the major players in the industry are. This will help to provide valuable contextual information and highlight how quickly advances have been made.

Read “Space Tourism: 5 Space Companies That Will Make You An Astronaut” to learn more about the history of space tourism, the biggest companies in the field, and even some of the past stories of failure.

Dennis Tito: The First Tourist in Space

A crucial milestone on the path to the opening of the first space hotel was the first successful flight into space from a tourist rather than a trained astronaut. This achievement occurred in 2001, when the American businessman, Dennis Tito, paid the Russian Space Agency to fly him to the International Space Station.

Check out “Space Tourist: Who Was The First Tourist in Space?” to read more about Dennis Tito’s trip into space and how he became the world’s first recognized space tourist.

How to Book a Space Hotel Yourself?

The two main proposals for a space hotel come from Orion Span and the International Space Station (ISS). In the sections below, you can find out how to book a space hotel stay.

Orion Span

Regarding private aerospace companies with concrete plans for a space hotel, the main example to point to right now is Orion Span. At the heart of the organization’s proposal is the Aurora Space Station, intended to be placed into low Earth orbit, where it will function as a luxury space hotel.

The current plan is for the luxury hotel on the Aurora Space Station to have room for up to six people at any one time, amounting to two professional crew members and four paying tourists for each stay.

Of course, at least initially, the cost of going to Orion Span’s luxury space hotel will be extremely high, meaning it will only be available to those with money to spare. The initial pricing set by the company is for the full two-way trip, and hotel stay to cost $9.5 million, with an $80,000 deposit required per person.

It is currently possible to make a reservation for a trip to the Aurora Space Station and a stay at the luxury hotel by visiting the Orion Span reservation page. You will need to pay an upfront deposit of $80,000 to secure your spot on the waiting list, although this is refundable if you change your mind and no longer wish to go.

Video: Orion Span – First Luxury Space Hotel

Space tourists will have a new orbital destination four years from now if the plans of Orion Span come to fruition. Orion Span aims to loft its space hotel, the “Aurora Station,” at the end of 2021 and start hosting guests in 2022.

NASA International Space Station

So far, the main alternative to Orion Span for those seeking a space hotel is a potential trip to the International Space Station (ISS). While this is a viable alternative, it will likely become a significantly more expensive option because private companies will charge a “taxi fare” to any space tourists wishing to visit.

The possibility of visiting the ISS in this way has come about as a result of partnerships between NASA and both SpaceX and Boeing, which will allow these companies to sell seats on pre-planned trips to low Earth orbit.

To take tourists beyond the Earth’s atmosphere, SpaceX intends to use its Dragon capsule, while Boeing’s offering will involve a trip aboard the company’s Starliner capsule. Commercial space tourists will likely need to undergo medical testing and basic training before being allowed on these journeys.

Before these agreements were reached, NASA had a policy of opposing the use of the International Space Station for commercial visits. It is anticipated that the actual journey to the ISS will cost around $60 million for a two-way trip, while the charge for staying at the ISS’s tourist accommodation will be around $35,000 per night on top.

Video: A Tour Through The International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Astronaut Sunita (Suni) Williams is giving us the best inside tour of the International Space Station (ISS). How are the astronauts living on the ISS? How are they going to the bathroom? How do you eat food? What kind of special equipment and technology do they need and use?

Voyager Station & Pioneer Station Space Hotel by Orbital Assembly

Two space hotels are planned for development by Orbital Assembly Corporation, a company focused on space station construction projects. The most significant of these hotels, Voyager Station, is a large-scale luxury space hotel that is designed to accommodate up to 400 lodgers at any given time, including a crew of around 100 people.

The Voyager Station is intended to be a rotating wheel space station with partially artificial gravity. The idea is to host space tourists, business travelers, manufacturers, researchers, staff, and crew. Visually, the Voyager Station will be defined by its vast, circular appearance and may include purchasable villas.

It is hoped that the Voyager Station will be able to achieve various levels of artificial gravity, mimicking experiences travelers would gain from visiting the Moon or Mars. The space station will also host entertainment venues, restaurants, bars, a gym, and other high-end hotel facilities.

Construction on the Voyager Station is expected to begin in 2026. A similar space hotel, Pioneer Station, is also planned, with development expected to begin in 2025. This is intended to function similarly, using artificial gravity. Still, it is designed to host far fewer travelers at a time, with current plans for a maximum of 28 occupants.

Video: First Space Hotel by Orbital Assembly Corporation

Booked Your Space Hotel? How to Get There?

As the space tourism industry grows, more and more space hotel options will likely become available. This will open up the possibility of booking the hotel and travel options separately, and the following companies all have plans to provide space transportation for commercial customers.

Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic is one of the biggest companies aiming to provide travel into space and a solid potential option for future trips to a space hotel. The organization has already carried out several test flights into space and is aiming to be able to provide regular commercial flights into low Earth orbit in the near future.

It is also worth noting that Virgin Galactic is one of the few businesses that has already started to sell flights to paying customers. You can learn more by reading “Virgin Galactic: Information About Virgin Space Flights”.

SpaceX

Regarding private companies offering flights into space for tourists, SpaceX is arguably the main competitor to Virgin Galactic and so may be another good option for your future trip to a space hotel. Elon Musk’s company has clear experience in putting humans into space and hopes to provide a range of flight options soon.

In the longer term, SpaceX has extremely ambitious aims, including taking people on lunar trips and even on trips to Mars. To learn more, read “SpaceX Information: Rockets, Spacecrafts and Spaceflights”.

Blue Origin

Another option for those looking to travel to a space hotel may come from Blue Origin, the aerospace company created by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. The company has designed and built a new vertical take-off rocket, the New Shepard, and intends to attach a passenger capsule, allowing it to take customers on trips into space and back.

Blue Origin hopes to offer regular space flights by the mid-2020s and has already performed multiple successful test flights. You can learn more by reading “Blue Origin: Information About Blue Origin Space Flights”.

Boeing Starliner

Finally, Boeing may also be able to provide you with the means to reach your space hotel, thanks to their Boeing Starliner. Designed in partnership with NASA, it will take paying customers into space and, potentially, to space hotels situated on space stations orbiting the Earth.

As a result of the company’s partnership with NASA, the Boeing Starliner flights will be operated with a crew of NASA or NASA-sponsored astronauts. Customers will also have their own spacesuit to wear during the trip.

The Ultimate Guide to the Space Industry

If you are interested in booking a space hotel, you may also be interested in learning much more about the space industry. For example, do you know how the space industry is defined? Are you familiar with the history of space exploration? How much do you know about the different sub-sections of the space industry?

Perhaps you would like to learn more about space tourism or are unsure what terminology like “NewSpace” means. Fortunately, you can find all this and more in “Space Industry: The No. 1 Guide into Space!”

With multiple concrete proposals now on the table that would allow you to enjoy a future space hotel stay – as well as the ability to reserve a place in the luxury hotel planned for the Aurora Space Station already – it is safe to say the reality of overnight stays in space is fast approaching. A new age of tourism will soon be upon us.

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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.