Inside the Space Hotel scheduled to open in 2025

The US-based company has revealed new information and concepts for its space hotel concept, and designs it has been circling since 2019.

This futuristic concept was first demonstrated by a California company called the Gateway Foundation – then called the Von Braun Station – this futuristic concept consists of several units connected by elevator shafts that form a spinning wheel that rotates around the ground.

The project is now being overseen by Orbital Assembly Corporation, a space construction company that has severed ties with Gateway.

The Orbital Assembly is now aiming to launch not one but two space stations with tourist accommodations: the Voyager station, the original renamed design, is now slated to accommodate 400 people and open in 2027, while the new Pioneer Station, which holds 28 people, could be Operating in only three years.

The goal, says Orbital Assembly, is to run a “business park” space that houses both offices and tourists.

But there is still an incredible price point associated with any space flight, which makes it difficult for many of us to consider spending our annual vacation out of this world.

Tim Alatori, chief operating officer of Orbital Assembly, believes that this barrier will rise as space tourism takes off.

home away from home

The attraction of the new Pioneer Station concept, Alatorre says, is that its smaller scale makes it achievable sooner.

“This will give us the opportunity to get people to start experiencing space on a larger scale, faster,” he said.

Office space and research facilities will also be leased at both Pioneer Station and Voyager Station.

Alatorre said this is a “win-win” for the Orbital Assembly, as many of its near-term goals depend on funding.

The Orbital Assembly imagines that both stations are like a spinning wheel revolving around the Earth.

In a 2019 interview with CNN Travel, Alatorre explained that Voyager Station’s physics work like a bucket of water.

“The station rotates, and the station’s contents are pushed into the station’s periphery, much the way you can spin a bucket of water — the water rushes into the bucket and stays in place,” he said.

Near the center of the station there will be no artificial gravity, but as you move downward outside the station, the feeling of gravity increases.

Alatorre recently said that physics has not changed. But he clarified that because the Pioneer terminal will be smaller, its level of gravity will be different. There will still be what he calls the “amenities” of artificial gravity, such as showers, and the ability to eat and drink while seated – but spaces with less gravity will allow for more space fun and quirks.

The interiors of both stations suggest that the interior is no different from a luxury hotel here on Earth, just with some extra views that are out of this world.

Alatorre, who has a background in architecture, previously said the hotel’s aesthetic was a direct response to Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” — which he described as “almost a blueprint for what not to do.”

“I think Stanley Kubrick’s goal was to highlight the gap between technology and humanity, and so, on purpose, to make stations and ships very sterile, clean, and exotic.”

The space hotel’s original name, Von Braun Station, was chosen because the concept was inspired by 60-year-old designs by Wernher von Braun, a flight engineer who pioneered rocket technology, first in Germany and later in the United States.

While living in Germany, von Braun was involved in the Nazi rocket development program, so naming the Space Hotel after him was a controversial choice.

“The station isn’t really about him. It’s based on his design, and we love his contributions to science and aerospace,” John Blencoe, the former CEO of Orbital Assembly, who is no longer associated with the company, said in a 2021 interview with CNN Travel. “But you know, Voyager Station is so much more than that. It’s things in the future. And we want a name that doesn’t have those attachments to it.”

Not only the wealthy

Space jumps have become more common over the past year, with Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin and Elon Musk’s company SpaceX all organizing flights.

Alatori said his team “talked to almost everyone” in the space industry about the collaboration.

“But the one thing all of these companies are missing is destination, right?” Alatori said. “It’s kind of like if you want to go see the Grand Canyon and you’re driving in front of it and you’re right back home.”

“It wouldn’t be like you were going to a factory or to a research facility,” he said. Instead, it should feel like a “sci-fi dream”.

“There are no wires everywhere, it’s a comfortable space where you feel right at home,” he added.

While billionaires are pumping money into space, there is also a growing backlash against space tourism, with many people suggesting that money could be better spent on Earth.

In response to this criticism, Alatori suggested that “a lot of life-changing technologies” stem from space exploration, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS).

Alatori also hypothesized that living in space would involve creating “sustainable communities.”

“This kind of closed-loop system is going to change the culture, the way people think about resource use,” he said.

“Our environment is not just the Earth, it’s the entire solar system. And there are a lot of resources out there, as we begin to take advantage of those resources that will change and improve the standard of living here on Earth.”

Despite the fact that the ticket to space is currently expensive, according to Alatori, space tourism will not be limited to billionaires only.

“We’re doing everything we can to make the space accessible to everyone, not just the wealthy,” he said.

In addition to cost, other barriers to creating a space community, Alatorre said, are determining how much artificial gravity is needed, and navigating current guidelines surrounding exposure to space radiation.

But since tourists won’t necessarily stay for more than two weeks, Alatori suggested that this wouldn’t affect visitors, and would be an even bigger problem for those who work at the stations.

But Hoffman noted that, as with air travel, having an established safety record would get the concept off the ground, even as the risk of accidents remains.

“I’m excited about the idea that many, many people will be able to experience being in space, and hopefully bring back to Earth a new sense of their connection to our planet,” said Hoffman, who suggested the word of mouth. The effect will also be key.

“When the word comes back and these first travelers tell their tales – you won’t be able to turn people away.” He said.

Meanwhile, Alatori believes space tourism is just getting started.

For naysayers or skeptics, what I’ve always said is ‘give us time. will happen. It won’t happen overnight. And just wait, prove it to us. And we’ll show you what we’re doing as we go forward and then you can make your judgement.”