One of the possible commercial uses for a space station that has been discussed is for tourists. A hotel in orbit is possible but I have always been skeptical that it could pay for itself in the near future. I have posted about plans for a space hotel in the past, but I thought it was time for an update.
Orbital Assembly (OA) is a company that specialized in designing and constructing space stations. It has announced plans to open luxury accommodations in space by 2025. Voyager Station is the name of their proposed space hotel. It was originally designed to hold up to two hundred and eighty guests, but plans have been expanded to accommodate up to four hundred. OA has recently shown plans for a smaller station called Pioneer Station. It would only be able to host twenty-eight people at a time but could be in orbit by 2025.
Rhonda Stevenson is the CEO of OA. She said, "We expect the duration to be as little as four days or as long as two weeks. It depends on cost and also the ability to acclimate to a space environment.” Aside from price considerations, both Voyager Station and Pioneer Station are designed to minimize this second concern as much as possible.
Both stations create artificial gravity by spinning the station. This will make comfortable rooms and stylish bar experiences possible. According to the Space Voyager’s website, the degree of simulated gravity will vary depending on the speed of rotation.
Because of the physics involved, both Voyager and Pioneer Station will look like giant floating wheels. On Voyager Station, there will be a docking hub in the center of the station where spaceships will be able to dock. The hub will also serve as the operations and control center. There will be elevators in the spoke-like shafts to transport guests and staff to the main hospitality area which will circle the outer rim of the wheel like a tire on a bicycle wheel.
Tim Alotorre is the COO of OA and an architect. He said, “Artificial gravity functionality informs the overall layout of the station and the engineering of the structural members. As we are generating artificial gravity through rotation, this introduces new structural scenarios that are unique to the space environment.”
While simulated gravity is critical for long term space habitats, many visitors will be attracted by the feeling of weightlessness in Earth orbit. Alatorre explains that “The interiors of Pioneer station, in particular, are designed to function in both zero gravity and partial gravity. They are highly flexible to respond to the needs of a variety of tenants on the station.”
There will be an opportunity to experience zero-gravity on Voyager Station. The current designs include for recreational activities such as basketball games where participants can fly because there is no gravity. OA also plans for additional ‘space’ themed experiences such as serving ‘space food’ like freeze-dried ice cream in the hotel’s restaurant.
Currently, the OA space hotel is not commenting on the probable cost of its rooms. However, comparing the OA plans with other proposals for space tourism, the accommodation will probably be very expensive. For example, Virgin Galactic has plans to launch tourists into space at a cost of four hundred and fifty thousand dollars per person, per trip. However, OA has already assured the public that as space tourism becomes more commonplace, they hope to eventually make a stay at their space hotel similar to the cost of booking an ocean cruise.