Take a look inside the world’s first space hotel

As technology continues to develop, humans are looking at more and more ways to expand their presence in space. Over the past few decades, the International Space Station has expanded drastically and we’ve seen multiple space missions. However, there are plans to make space a holiday destination – and we’ve got the first look at the world’s first space hotel.

A trip to space will certainly set travelers back millions of dollars, but a a five-star experience awaits when the very first space hotel opens its doors in 2027.

The hotel, dubbed the Voyager Station “leverages the technologies of space and the comforts of Earth to create a unique experience unparalleled in history”.

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The hotel is being developed by the Orbital Assembly Corporation, which confirms that construction of the Voyager Station in low Earth orbit starts in 2025. Once construction is complete, guests are set to experience luxury amenities like a health spa, gyms, themed restaurants, concert venues, Earth-viewing lounges, bars, and accommodation for 400 people.

Voyager Station is set to have a number of accommodation offerings ranging from luxury villa accommodation with cooking facilities for up to 16 people to hotel suites for two guests.

The Gateway Foundation, the company that established the Orbital Assembly Corporation in 2018, has said that the hotel is being designed as a rotating space station which is being designed to produce varying levels of artificial gravity by increasing or decreasing the rate of rotation.

Daily Mail reports that the hotel is set to feature a series of pods attached to the outside of the rotating ring, which are expected to measure approximately 20m long and 12m wide.

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Chief architect of Orbital Assembly, Dr Tom Spilker, says: “With Voyager Station, we don't want to have to develop any new technologies, we want it to be technologies that are already in hand. It's just that we are applying them in new ways to get a structure and a facility like that. So, we are not going to be bogged down by technology development that can go wrong and cost delays because the technology doesn’t work out like we thought it would.”

John Blincow, Founder of the Gateway Foundation, adds that rotation will play a major part in the hotel’s design. “Rotation is ’vital’ as it isn’t viable to have people on a space station without gravity for long periods,” he says. “People may want to be in space for months at a time, especially when working in a hotel. People need gravity so their bodies won’t fall apart.”

The cost of developing and building the hotel, as well as travel fees, haven’t been released but the project is expected to be one of the most expensive space projects to date.

While the concept sounds great, Vic is unsure whether he would take vacation up in space. “It depends which planet I’m going to and will there be snacks and wine," he jokes. "Also probably no because heights and also I’m thinking of everything that could go wrong given my luck, I would be trapped there”

Image courtesy: Space Voyager