You’ve looked out at a digital version of space in Space 220, and traveled aboard the Halcyon at Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser (the Star Wars Hotel). But what if you could go to a hotel in ACTUAL SPACE?!

Hold on to your holographic disk earrings, pop in that Proto Zoa CD, and get ready to live your best Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century life. A stay at a hotel in actual space might be more of a real possibility than you realize!

WESH 2 News has shared a video and some photos of concept art for a true space hotel design! Orbital Assembly is the company behind it all and reportedly some designs for the space hotel have been “orbiting” for a few years now, since 2019.

According to WESH 2 News & CNN, the concept was originally premiered by a company called Gateway Foundation (it was then called the Von Braun Station). Basically, the concept is made up of “several modules connected by elevator shafts that make up a rotating wheel orbiting the Earth.”

The project is now being overseen by Orbital Assembly Corporation. It is a space construction company and they “cut links with Gateway.”

Orbital Assembly isn’t just planning to launch a single space station that could accommodate tourists though. They are planning two — Voyager Station (which could fit about 400 people, set to open in 2027) and Pioneer Station (housing 28 people, could be operational in 3 years).

Orbital Assembly’s goal is to operate a “space ‘business park'” which would have offices as well as spaces for tourists.

Orbital Assembly’s Chief Operating Officer, Tim Alatorre, has said, “The goal has always been to make it possible for large amounts of people to live, work and thrive in space.”

The Pioneer Station is on a smaller scale, so that is why Alatorre says it makes it possible to get it done sooner.

Both stations will have office spaces and research facilities available for rent.

According to Alatorre, the way it works (in terms of physics) is like a spinning bucket of water. He said, “The station rotates, pushing the contents of the station out to the perimeter of the station, much in the way that you can spin a bucket of water — the water pushes out into the bucket and stays in place.”

There will be no artificial gravity near the center of the station, but the feeling of gravity will increase as you move to the outside of the station.

There will be some comforts people know and love like showers and the chance to eat and drink sitting down. But there will also be the chance to enjoy some spaces with less gravity.

Alatorre has said that it should feel like a “sci-fi dream,” not like a factory or research facility.

In terms of just how much this will cost, Alatorre has said, “We’re doing everything we can to make space accessible to everyone, not just the wealthy.”

Aside from just cost, there are other things to consider when creating a space community including determining how much artificial gravity will be needed and working around guidelines for space radiation exposure.

But since tourists likely won’t stay more than a few weeks, Alatorre said that this would be more of a problem for those working on the station.

Jeffrey A. Hoffman, a former NASA astronaut (now works in MIT’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics) has said, “I am excited about the idea that many, many more people will be able to experience being in space, and hopefully bring back to Earth a new sense of their relationship with our planet…When the word gets back and these initial travelers tell their tales — you’re not going to be able to keep people away.”

The Orbital Assembly site goes through a number of features that will be aboard the Voyager Class, including hotel suites…

…a restaurant…

…a bar, and more.

What do you think? Would you hop aboard a space hotel?

With former imagineer Joe Rohde also working on projects regarding space travel and other talk of space travel in the news, it seems there are quite a few individuals looking to this area as the future of vacationing!

We’ll be keeping an eye out for more neat updates about the future of travel and we’ll share those with you. Check back for more updates!

Click here to see our full review of Space 220’s newest items!

Would you stay at a hotel in space? Tell us in the comments!