A new construction company run by former pilot John Blincow, is planning to open the first luxury hotel in space by 2027. Voyager Station will accommodate 280 guests and 112 crew members along with all the creature comforts of luxurious hospitality you’d expect on Earth.
If you’re making post-pandemic travel plans, you may want to add space to your list of potential destinations. Space construction company Orbital Assembly Corporation is planning to set up the first luxury hotel in space by 2027. Suspended in the low Earth orbit, the hotel will accommodate 280 guests and 112 crew members upon completion. “We’re trying to make the public realize that this golden age of space travel is just around the corner. It’s coming. It’s coming fast,” the company’s founder and pilot John Blincow told CNN.
Brilliant. So, how does it work?
A rotating wheel will simulate gravity much in the same way one can spin a bucket in a circle, keeping the water inside of it. According to the Orbital Assembly Corporation, the first element to be built will be a central un-pressurized ring structure that will contain the docking hub at its center. Next, 200-metre-diametre outer ring truss will be connected to the central ring by a network of spokes. This ring will support 24 pods which will be used to accommodate guests and crew members, restaurants, bars, and scientific research zones.
So, it’s a real-life version of 2001: A Space Odyssey?
While the concept is undoubtedly out of a sci-fi film, senior architect Tim Alattorre, has said the Voyager Station will be designed to have the “feel of a luxury hotel”. He explained it was a conscious decision to stay away from the sterile, white environment associated with futuristic travel. “As humans, we innately connect to natural materials and colours,” he said in an interview with Dezeen.
The accommodation options on Voyager Station will include 500-square-metre villas which will have sleeping space for 16, three bathrooms, and cooking facilities. The hotel will also have several 30-square-metre suites with beds for two and a private bathroom. A full service kitchen will be available on board “with all of the dishes you would expect on a luxury cruise ship of in a major hotel.” Guests will also be able to amuse themselves with low-gravity games at an activity and gym module.
With Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic and Elon Musk’s SpaceX, space tourism is increasingly becoming a possibility. While Alattorre admits vacationing in a pod floating above the earth comes with a hefty price tag, the Orbital Assembly Corporation hopes to make interstellar stays accessible to everyone in the coming years.
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