HOUSTON -- A new startup company based right here in Houston is looking to put the first hotel in space. And it says it'll be able to host the first guests by 2022.
The company is called Orion Span and their new luxurious space hotel will be named Aurora Station. Staying there though will cost you several million dollars.
It's literally an out of this world vacation. The Aurora Station will soar 200 miles above the Earth's surface in low Earth orbit and it will be moving fast, circling the earth in 90 minutes. That means guests will see 16 sunrises and sunsets every 24 hours.
"We're selling an experience," said Orion Span CEO Frank Bunger. "The experience of being an astronaut."
The hotel is still in its design phase. Interior sketches offer a glimpse of what it will be like. The hotel will host six people at a time including two crew members. Guests will experience zero gravity throughout the hotel, learn to grow their own food in space and see breathtaking views out the windows.
"We do want a strong entertainment and hospitality element," said Bunger.
Aurora Station will be built right here in Houston, in the Clear Lake area, and customers will participate in a three-month training program here too. The facility here has yet to be built, but construction should begin in early to mid 2019. Bunger says Houston is the perfect city for the project.
"Houston has the best space engineers of anywhere in the world," said Bunger. "There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of the best and brightest here, former astronauts living in Houston."
The company has yet to decide on who their launch provider will be, but it's looking at big companies like SpaceX or Blue Origin. The 12-day stay will cost you about $792,000 a night for a total cost of $9.5 million. If you can afford it, your stay could begin in 2022.
"Our long term goal is to drive price down and make it affordable for everyone," said Bunger.
You can reserve a spot now for $80,000 per person. Orion Span says 72 hours after their announcement, the first four months are already sold out.