Russia to open hotel in space by 2022

MOSCOW: Tourists may soon be able to take a holiday in space after plans for a luxury hotel on the International Space Station (ISS) moved a step closer.

Russia’s space agency wants to build a 20-ton, 51-foot long module with four luxury sleeping quarters by 2022.
The hotel, which will also contain “hygiene and medical” stations, a lounge area, and exercise equipment, is reported to cost between 16.4 and 26.2 billion rubles (US $210 to $336 million).

Guests will even be able to use Wi-Fi onboard, according to detailed business plans. However, those dreaming of a holiday in the stars will have to fork out at least $40 million for a 1-2 week stay.

This includes a $4 million up-front payment, followed by two $12.6 million payments during the two years leading up to the flight, and a final $10.8 million just before the launch.

For a month-long stay including an optional spacewalk, guests will have to pay an extra $20 million.

Russian space agency Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities are facing huge logistical issues with the hotel project.

Despite the existing blueprints, there are fears Russian engineers will not be able to successfully build it. Also, the ISS is scheduled to be retired by NASA in 2028.

According to Russia’s leading space station contractor RKK Energia, even if the hotel module reaches the ISS at the earliest date of 2022, it will need at least seven years to make back its building costs. This means that the hotel will not have enough time to make a profit.

Recently, there has been increased interest in human space exploration.

Earlier, this week Elon Musk shared a picture of the “world’s most powerful rocket” that will one day carry humans to Mars.

And this month one forecaster predicted that up to one million people will be living on other planets by 2100.