So you've made it out of the atmosphere. Where do you
stay?
Needless to say, Airbnb hasn't launched in space just yet.
Accommodation options are limited.
In June 2019, after previously banning commercial use, Nasa announced that it will open the ISS to
tourists and other business ventures for $35,000 (about £28,000)
per night, for up to 30 days at a time - remember this doesn't
include the "taxi fare" for your flight in and out of orbit. The
decision is part of a move towards the privatisation of the ISS;
President Trump's 2018 budget called for the ISS to be defunded by
the government in 2025. Don't expect cushy rooms; occupants simply
clip sleeping bags to the wall to stop them sleep-floating.
In 2018, US-based Orion Span announced plans to welcome guests to a
luxury space hotel by 2022. For $9.5 million (£7.5 million) each,
visitors (a maximum of six at any one time) will float in
unexplored universe for 12 days aboard the pill-shaped Aurora Space
Station, downing non-space food, tending to hydroponic plants and
playing in a "hologram deck" before bedding down in a relatively
roomy cabin of 13m x 4m.
Orbital Assembley Corporation has entered the space-stay race.
They plan to launch the 400-room Voyager Class space station in
2027.
How do I book my ticket out of here?
The Virginia-based Space Adventures is, to date, the only operator
(as opposed to carrier) that has successfully sent passengers into
space. Now in partnership with SpaceX, it invites "adventurers" to
circumnavigate the moon, board the ISS and be the first private
citizen to walk in space.
You can also pay $1,000 (£800) to register
with Virgin Galactic and its "astronaut office" Giant Leap to
be at the front of the line for new seats when they become
available, or earn your astronaut wings on Blue Origin's New Shepard.
Until take off…
Allay cabin fever with this HD Earth Viewing Experiment, live-streamed from the
ISS. While it's prone to drop offline, you should keep your eye out
for sunrise and sunset - one of the two happens every 45 minutes.
Alternatively, have a whirl on SpaceX's Crew Dragon docking
simulator.