In a move that has been expected since the moment Elon Musk debuted SpaceX, startup Orion Span plans to launch the world's first hotel in space.
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The Houston-based company has plans for Aurora Station, an orbiting luxury hotel offering 12-day stays for $9.5M per person, Bloomberg reports. Founder Frank Bunger is targeting late 2021 for the first launch, despite having no funding source locked down and no deal in place with a launch provider.
Orion Span has nevertheless already started accepting reservations for Aurora Station, which is planned to be a 35-by-14-foot module with room for four guests and two crew members. Reservations require nearly $80K security deposits, which are fully refundable.
Much like Musk, Bunger claims that Orion Span is pioneering technology that will dramatically reduce the cost of spaceflight to the point that it can be a profitable venture. The company's senior leadership boasts multiple former NASA employees who will attempt to put Aurora Station 200 miles above Earth and make it travel fast enough to allow guests to witness 384 sunrises and sunsets, according to Bloomberg.
The luxury label of this hotel will not largely apply beyond pricing, however — guests will be required to undergo three months of training prior to the launch, as well as mandatory exercises once aboard the satellite.
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