GRU is planning to open the first lunar hotel in six years’ time.
You’ve been to the furthest throes of Antarctica, you’ve ventured through the Mongolian desert, and you’ve navigated the Amazon rainforest — what’s next? A trip to the Moon, of course. Leaving Earth has long been on the bucket list of the more adventurous traveler, but with the announcement of the ‘First Hotel on the Moon,’ a stay on our planet’s outer atmosphere might be closer to reality than ever.
See also: The Most Anticipated Hotel Openings of 2026
What is the first hotel on the Moon?
Announced by Silicon Valley start-up GRU Space, the first lunar hotel is projected to open in 2032, with initial construction processes beginning as early as 2029. While space tourism is becoming an increasingly realistic endeavour – SpaceX has run several multi-day civilian orbital missions and Virgin Galactic semi-regularly hosts paying passengers on suborbital spaceflights — GRU is the first to look at materials that already exist on the Moon to build a hospitality endeavor.
The first hotel on the Moon (dubbed ‘v1’) will accommodate four guests and will be equipped for several-night stays. Fully manufactured on Earth, the inflatable structure will be robotically deployed and inflated in situ, according to the start-up.
Details on the amenities and interior design of v1 are limited, but GRU has specified that it will be “equipped with a full Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS), including carbon dioxide removal and oxygen generation, water reclamation, and thermal control.” It will also have an emergency evacuation system and a solar flare storm shelter. Plans are also being made for surface experiences including Moonwalks and golf.
V1 is being designed to last for up to 10 years on the Moon’s surface; following this, v2 will be deployed. While GRU has stated the “final size and layout” of the second iteration of its space hotel will “evolve as we get better at building on the Moon,” it will be inspired by the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco — a Beaux-Arts-style faux palace, with a monumental stone rotunda. Current 3D models for the project predict a central rotunda, with three smaller interconnecting pavilions.
Unlike the plans for v1 launch, GRU anticipates that its technologies will have advanced enough by v2 to transform existing lunar soil into safe and durable building blocks, dramatically reducing costs. V2 will accommodate a total of 10 guests for a currently unspecified period of time.
Ahead of its 2032 launch, GRU is proposing a series of lunar experiments, including a pressurized payload test, inflatable construction tests using small-scale replicas of the proposed v1 hotel, and sample collections missions.
See also: Ranked: The World’s Most Powerful Cities
Based on successful hospitality projects on the Moon, GRU is planning to extend its operations to a hotel on Mars and, eventually, the first human civilizations in space. Plans for Martian deployment begin in the mid to late 2030s.
How much will the first hotel on the Moon cost?
Would-be Moon tourists can register their interest now, with a non-refundable $1,000 application fee due immediately. GRU has claimed that applications will be reviewed in 2027, with candidates due to be selected based on specific mission roles. Successful applicants will then be asked to pay a further deposit of either $250k or $1m, depending on role. The company has not confirmed a final cost for a stay at the first hotel on the Moon, but has noted that it will “likely exceed $10m.”
Who is building the first hotel on the Moon?
Behind GRU Space’s ambitious plans is founder and CEO is Skyler Chan – a 22-year-old Canadian native that graduated early from Berkeley’s prestigious Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences program; became an Air Force-trained pilot aged 16; built software for Tesla; and created a NASA-funded 3D-printer that was launched into space. According to his company’s website, “Skyler has been obsessed with how to make humanity interplanetary his entire life.”
Добавить комментарий