Paris, Switzerland, Hong Kong, London, and Malaysia are going to be pretty much out dated holiday destinations now! In four years from now, you can spend your enthralling vacation in unexplored space too.
Can you imagine yourself to be in zero gravity, looking at a thousand-mile view of planet Earth below and infinite space all around? What has, until now, been a science fiction fantasy for civilians is set to become reality when a venture named ORION SPAN launches its first commercial Space flight in AURORA STATION, the first orbital community. With fewer people having ever been into space, taking a stay at AURORA means you’d be joining a very select group of individuals! A Silicon Valley startup in San Francisco has made this big announcement on Apr 5 this year that they will open a luxury hotel in low-Earth orbit by 2022. The only hitch, which is astronomically big, with this space hotel, is the extravagant trip cost per person.
WANT TO HAVE TRUE ADVENTURE?
OUTER SPACE WILL BE 2022’S HOTTEST TRAVEL DESTINATION!
Some of us may have moved on from our dream of being an astronaut when we grew up, but that doesn’t mean we can hide our excitement about the latest advancements in space travel. It was SpaceX who became the trailblazer in space travel and developments when back in 2015 it launched 100 people on Mars One’s one-way trip to colonize the red planet, planned for 2025. In mid-December, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launched into orbit and later, more importantly, landed safely in Cape Canaveral.
The next step on the journey to space is well underway. You will soar 200 miles above the Earth’s surface in the safety and luxury of Aurora Station for 12 days, blowing far past any tour anywhere. The Aurora Space Station plans to build a hotel for travelers in space. Built by giant 3D printers, the hotel in Orion Span’s proprietary architecture would enable us to “stack up” Aurora Station in a way that has never been done before in space station design. Like a city rising from the ground, this unique architecture would enable us to build up the hotel in orbit dynamically – on the fly.
The organization plans to begin construction in 2019 and will shoot the travelers into the space by 2022. We’re calling it now, the best holiday destination in 2022. Outer space it is! Now if only we could convince a few star chefs to start working solely in anti-gravity conditions…
GET SPACE CERTIFIED!
There is a cherry on the top for all the travelers! All visitors to this extra ordinary hotel are required to complete mandatory training in advance of their visit. The prudent organization has taken what was historically a 24-month program for visitors to a space station and streamlined it to only 3 months, with a significant portion of those 3 months done online. Training leads to the prestigious Astronaut Certification, a certification that may be possible to use with other space entities in the future.
HOW TO CONTACT THE COSMOS?
Up till now, the world’s most expensive hotel suite was at the Hotel President Wilson in Geneva, Switzerland, where rates start from approximately $80,000 (nearly Rs. 52 lakh at current exchange rate) per night.
This space station beats the record which is mile apart! While being 200 miles (321 km) above the Earth, the hotel room reservation price itself is $ 80,000, the 12-day stay would cost you staggering $9.5 million (Rs. 61.6 crore) per person.
EXPERIECE THAT TAKES BREATH AWAY
The space tourist will get to witness luminous auroras and sunrises and sunsets, which will be 12 times every day. Every 90 minutes they would complete an orbit, meaning one will see day & night over Earth hundreds of times during the stay, with ample opportunity to photograph ones hometown from space. But the cherry on top would be to see our blue planet Earth as a whole against the blackness of space. The orbiting inn will be able to accommodate four guests at a time and two crew members and the construction of one of its modules will begin in 2019. With it’s fastest wireless internet access in space, one will be equipped to share their experience with friends & family on Earth instantly. Growing food in space and running science experiments may sound interesting to some, but one will get to experience much more than that. Is’nt it going to be a wow experience?
A COMPLETE CHANGE IN TOURISM
According to the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), the next two decades will see the tourism industry grow at a rate of 43 million international tourist arrivals each year. This means that there will be around 1.8 billion people travelling the world in 2030, compared with 940 million in 2010, which breaks down to 5 million people crossing international borders and four times as many travelling domestically.
Described as a global phenomenon by UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai, who says tourism has seen “extraordinary growth” over the last six decades, the tourist industry has always managed to thrive despite the many obstacles and challenges that threaten to hinder its advance.
Indeed! Advancements like this “DREAM SPACE HOTEL” are live proof for the boom in the field!
So having a tough time deciding where to go on vacation? If you look up in the night sky, you’ll see a few of these places. All you’ll need is a fast rocket and enough food, water, and air for the trip, which could take months or even years. And this unexpected organization makes all such mesmerizing dreams of yours come true!
Thus, losing one’s pocket seems worth for such fascinating experience! Just, fire up the jet pack, suck in some thin air, get a taste of zero “g” – it’s time to take one small step for yourself, and a giant leap for humanity.
MEET THE MAN BEHIND
Frank Bunger, a former technology startup executive from the software, hardware, and manufacturing industry, is the protagonist of the much talked of and anticipated Space Hotel of all times. The veteran technology executive and serial entrepreneur serves the organization as the founder and CEO and is equipped with a good team of learned members! He has extensive experience building early stage company team, product, and go to market, from zero to eight digit revenue.
“We’re changing the way people access space”-Frank Bunger
FRANK BUNGER DISCUSSING HOLIDAY IN SPACE EXCLUSIVELY WITH THE CAPITAL POST!
1. Who is the man behind the unique idea, “Building a Hotel in Space”?
Orion Span’s leadership team includes myself, CEO, Frank Bunger (a former technology startup executive from the software, hardware, and manufacturing industry); Chief Technology Officer David Jarvis – credited with multiple designs from scratch to deployment for the International Space Station (ISS); Chief Architect Frank Eichstadt, whom has designed and built spacecraft including architecting the ISS Enterprise module; and Chief Operating Officer Marv LeBlanc – a space executive with decades of experience running operations and mission control.
2. Space has zero gravity! Will the masons be floating while constructing the hotel? Will it be launched as a rocket? Or will it be constructed there itself?
Because of Aurora Station’s modular design, it will require one launch (through a partner) and will be immediately in service.
3. What are the plans and when and how are you going to implement the idea?
Aurora Station is slated to launch in late 2021 and host its first guests in 2022. We are in the early stages of evaluating partners for launch. Further, we will provide zero gravity in the station so as to give our guests a true astronaut experience. Part of the three-month training program will be to get guests accustomed to that feeling.
Each trip would accommodate 4 guests and 2 crew members.
4. Where is the exact destination in the space?
While in space, guests will soar 200 miles above the Earth’s surface in Low Earth Orbit, or LEO, where they will find a stunning view of Earth from up close.
5. What is the package at the stay and what are the facilities that will be offered in the hotel? What are the highlighting experiences you are going to provide the visitors?
During their stay, travelers will have the opportunity to gaze at the northern and southern aurora through the many breathtaking windows, take part in research experiments such as growing food while in orbit (which they can take home with them as the ultimate souvenir), revel in a virtual reality experience on the holodeck, and stay in touch with their loved ones back home via high-speed wireless Internet access. On return, guests will be treated to a hero’s welcome home.
6. Are there any kind of medical pre-requisites for the travelers? What age group do you allow for the visit?
There with be a health screening required before guests travel to the Station. We’re currently defining what this will entail, so I can’t share any specifics yet.
Due to equipment sizing and strain on the body for the rocket launch to orbit (up to 3G acceleration), there will be a minimum age requirement. We’re currently working with partners to determine what that lower bound should be. There will be no upper bound.
7. Is there any deposit? If yes, how much is that?
Yes. It is $80,000 per person.
8. How much will the trip cost?
Pricing starts at $9.5m, far below what others have paid to go to space.
9. Does the trip price include the launch to get to Aurora Station in orbit?
Yes.
10. Is traveler’s deposit safe?
Yes. For your peace of mind, your deposit stays with our trusted third party and stays there until 6 months prior to your stay. The deposit cannot be moved without your explicit approval.
11. Can I get my full deposit back if I change my mind?
Yes.
12. You are now taking $80,000 deposits to reserve a spot on the waitlist. It is just a token amount and thus the trip cost amounts too high! How far it would challenge it’s availability to a common man?
Historically, people have paid anywhere from $20-50 million to go to space, so we’ve been able to drastically reduce the trip price via innovation that focused on simplifying space station design. Our long-term goal is to drive that cost down significantly further so that more people can afford it. With technology improving LEO access, and launch prices going down, we expect to be able to reduce prices even further in the future.
13. When a person can expect to go?
2022
14. From its inception to the advancements till date, what were the challenges you had faced?
The biggest challenge is going to be technically. We really want to squeeze in everything by 2021. We know there’s a lot of work to do, but we’re really passionate about making it happen.
15. Can one gift a seat to someone else or buy on behalf of someone else?
Yes, absolutely. When you make your reservation, simply put the passenger’s name.
16. Can one go with their significant other?
Yes. We have private suites available that fit two people.
17. What kind of responses you are getting across the globe?
We are thrilled with the immediate response we’ve received following the opening of reservations. People from all over the world are extremely excited by the prospect of space travel and want to enjoy our authentic astronaut experience. We’re proud to be at the leading edge of moving space travel forward, and our long-term goal remains to make it accessible to all.