Curious About Space Tourism’s Future? These Space Hotels Might Interest You
If travelling on earth is too mainstream for you, you could plan a visit to space in the coming years. Every traveller who likes to reach the extra-ordinary must have thought about space tourism’s future. Well-known companies in many developed countries around the world are working on opening space hotels that can make space travel convenient even for people other than astronauts.
In order to make space exploration a comfortable yet memorable experience for you, NASA is working on various ‘Voyager Station’ plans. Scheduled for a polar orbit (sun-synchronous) launch, this station would be the first of a new class of luxurious rotating space stations. Since it would be having artificial gravity, this can be called as the first space hotel.
The Voyager Station, developed by a private company — ‘The Gateway Foundation’, will mark a great step in space tourism’s future. The hotel will have 24 individual pods with an ability to accommodate 400 guests for luxury stays. Developers are hoping to cater 100 guests every week and expand the hotel to welcome 1400 guests later.
The organisation will be building its first spaceport — the Von Braun Rotating Space Station that will revolve around Earth. This spaceport will cater to tourists who wish to live some moments off the charts. As per the lead architect of this space station –Timothy Alatorre, with help from space construction firm Orbital Assembly, this structure would be ready by 2025.
Alatorre claims that the interiors of the station will have many similarities to cruise ships. His plans about the station include bars, musical concerts, movie screenings, restaurants and educational seminars.
The space station will have some areas specifically allotted for research. For common guests at the hotel, the Von Braun Space Station will be having a slow rotation speed. The presence of artificial gravitational force will give you an option to eat, drink and sleep just like you do on Earth. Following the idea of sustainability, showers at the station will be using recycled water.
Also, an astronomical observatory in England — Kielder Observatory has submitted plans to Northumberland County Council for a new facility which will affect space tourism’s future.
Living in space does require special kind of luggage for space tourism. Berlin-based Horizn Studios and Alyssa Carson (the world’s youngest astronaut in training) have joined hands to create a carbon fibre suitcase for space tourism.
Another company working on sending people to space from 2021 is ‘Space Perspective’. With the help of specially designed space balloons called ‘Spaceship Neptune’, this start-up is planning to carry eight passengers at once on six-hour flights in nearly three to four years. Sitting in this space balloon, you can hover over 99 percent of Earth’s atmosphere for two hours. What better than enjoying a panoramic view of earth and twinkling stars from a comfy window-seat in space!
