Orion Span is offering anybody with the right money the opportunity to journey on the Aurora Station 200 miles (320 km) above the Earth’s surface. Revolving around the Earth’s orbit every 90 minutes, residents will be in a constant state of zero-gravity.
On the accommodation side of things, the Aurora Station offers an unparalleled level of comfort in space. The hotel features a clean and pristine look, and every trip will include newly fitted out cloth and materials. The hotel even offers high-speed Wi-Fi to guests so they can stay in touch with people down on Earth below.
Living the life of an astronaut does not come cheaply. Costing $9.5 million (USD) per person, CEO of Orion Span Frank Bunger, assures space enthusiasts that this is as cheap as it gets to travel through space.
“The folks that went up to the ISS paid anywhere from $20 to $40 million, and one of our competitors, Bigelow Space Operations, will likely to be in the eight digits, meaning tens of millions.”
Traditionally, astronaut training was a laborious 24-month process. With Orion Span, the astronaut training required to stay in the station includes a three-month Orion Span Astronaut Certification, the first phase of which is completed online, making travelling to space easier than ever before.
“Our goal is to make space accessible to all, by continuing to drive greater value at a lower cost." Burger said.
The hotel can have six people staying in it at a time, including the two crew members. During the 12-day visit, guests will have the opportunity to live as astronauts, admire the aurora borealis, grow food in space, live in zero gravity, and experience the Star Trek-inspired Holodeck upon their return to land.
Aurora Station plans to launch in 2021 and take its first guests onboard in 2022. Deposits of $80,000 are currently being accepted to join the waitlist for a stay on the world’s first luxury space hotel. If you have a spare $10 million and dream of becoming an astronaut, then Bunger suggests acting fast as he expects the vacancies to fill quickly.
