You might be able to take a trip into space soon - but for the steep price of $9.5 million per person.
The idea was introduced on April 5 at the Space 2.0 Summit in San Jose, California by Orion Span, a company with over 140 years of human space experience.
The Aurora Station, named after the light phenomenon that illuminated the Earth's polar skies, will host only six people at a time, four guests and two crew members.
Orion Span says travelers will enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime astronaut experience on the 12-day long trip.
Guests will be able to fly freely with zero gravity throughout the station, take part in research experiments like growing food while in orbit and experience virtual reality on the holodeck. The station will be equipped with high-speed wireless internet access.
The station will soar 200 miles above Earth's surface in Low Earth Orbit, where it will orbit the Earth every 90 minutes. Those aboard will see an average of 16 sunrises and sunsets every 24 hours.
The company is already accepting deposits to reserve future trips at $80,000 per person. Trips can be reserved online and with the fully refundable deposit.
"We developed Aurora Station to provide a turnkey destination in space. Upon launch, Aurora Station goes into service immediately, bringing travelers into space quicker and at a lower price point than ever seen before, while still providing an unforgettable experience," said Frank Bunger, chief executive officer and founder of Orion Span. "Orion Span has additionally taken what was historically a 24-month training regimen to prepare travelers to visit a space station and streamlined it to three months, at a fraction of the cost. Our goal is to make space accessible to all, by continuing to drive greater value at lower cost."
Prior to takeoff, guests must take a three-month Orion Span Astronaut Certification program in three phases. Phase one is completed online, phase two is in-person at Orion Span's Houston training facility, and phase three is completed during the guest's stay on Aurora Station.
"Aurora Station is incredibly versatile and has multiple uses beyond serving as a hotel," Bunger added. "We will offer full charters to space agencies who are looking to achieve human spaceflight in orbit for a fraction of the cost – and only pay for what they use. We will support zero-gravity research, as well as in space manufacturing. Our architecture is such that we can easily add capacity, enabling us to grow with market demand like a city growing skyward on Earth. We will later sell dedicated modules as the world's first condominiums in space. Future Aurora owners can live in, visit, or sublease their space condo. This is an exciting frontier and Orion Span is proud to pave the way."
Orion Span said the station is expected to launch in late 2021 and host its first guests by 2022.
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