Minnesota’s inclement weather has us running for the hills. We need a break, if anything, from these snowdrifts, and frigid fingers and toes. We need a boost in morale. We need sunshine and short sleeves.
So, where to? Mexico? Maybe Miami? Out west to Los Angeles or San Diego? Hawaii? Further, to Europe – to Spain or Portugal?
Further? How about a rocket into space?
While that’s not currently possible, it soon will be. And you can start planning your intergalactic vacation now, because in a little over three years you’ll be able to check in to Orion Span’s first-ever luxury space hotel, called Aurora Station.
Set to launch in 2021, and open to the public for occupation the following year in 2022, you can book your 12-day stay amongst the stars for as low as 9.5 million dollars. Sure, it’s a little pricier than your local Hilton, but you will get some pretty spectacular views of, well, just about everything.
(Read more about the details of getting a room in this Space report).
Long term, the goal is to sell actual living space in space so that people can call space home permanently. Science fiction? It’s now just good real estate planning.
“Our long-term vision is to sell actual space in those new modules,” Orion Span founder and CEO Frank Bunger told the crowd at the Space 2.0 Summit, which took place in San Jose, California earlier this month. “We’re calling that a space condo. So, either for living or subleasing, that’s the future vision here — to create a long-term, sustainable human habitation…”
But, for now, you’ll have to be content with short-term stays. Bunger made the official announcement for Aurora Station a the summit to an enthusiastic response: “We are launching the first-ever affordable luxury space hotel.”
And, yes, he used the word “affordable” as though the average citizen of earth will be able to cough up millions of dollars for a less-than-two-week journey above the clouds. But, when compared to the up-to $40 million people have paid to visit the International Space Station, it might seem reasonable.
To some people at least.
So what will the rooms look like? How much space will you have? Will there be beds? Room Service? Netflix?
As reported in Space, Aurora Station is going to be about size of a large private jet’s cabin: It will span 43.5 feet long x 14.1 feet wide. Once inside, you’ll orbit at about 200 miles above the earth, which is fifty miles closer than the International Space Station. There will be four guests, and two crew members, able to occupy the hotel at once.
And, no, there won’t be an option for Netflix. You’ll just have to bring a copy of 2001: A Space Odyssey with you and compare the real deal to the original film. Maybe you’ll get pulled through the stargate and end up in another dimension. Anything can happen in space, after all. Hence the hefty price tag.
For more on Orion Span’s Aurora Station, read the full article on Space, and visit Orion’s official website.
Read next: Stephen Hawking and beyond: 5 modern scientists making groundbreaking discoveries
