Space Hotel With Artificial Gravity To Be Operational By 2027 – Intelligent Living

The Gateway Foundations Orbital Assembly Corporation (OAC), a manufacturing firm centered on the colonization of space, recently revealed new details about its ambitious Voyager Station which is set to be the worlds first commercial space station operating with artificial gravity. It will circle Earth every 90 minutes.

The project is a multi-phase endeavor in need of funding to come to fruition. The company is selling stakes to private investors at $0.25 a share until April 1, 2021. Assembly is scheduled to begin around 2025 and finish by 2027.

Tim Alatorre, a Gateway Foundation executive team member and one of the stations designers, said:

We havent seen an explosion of commercial activity in space. The cost has been about $8,000 per kilogram [$3,600 per lb.] for a long time. But with the Falcon 9, you can do it for less than $2,000. And as Starship comes online, it will only cost a few hundred dollars. (These were references to SpaceX launchers the companys workhorse Falcon 9 rocket and its Starship Mars vehicle, which is in development.)

OACs team of skilled NASA veterans, engineers, architects, and pilots are working on the design. It will be a space hotel in low Earth orbit. The ring structure will rotate fast enough to generate moon-like levels of artificial gravity for occupants.

The station will be for vacationers who want to experience off-Earth living and astronauts, scientists, educators, and staff. If realized, it will be the biggest human-made structure in space, accommodating up to 400 people.

Alatorre said:

Microgravity is just brutal on our bodies. We need artificial gravity a mechanism to give us a dosage of gravity to give us the ability to live long-term in space.

The ring will feature amenities similar to what youd find in a cruise ship, such as viewing lounges, themed restaurants, bars, concert venues, movie theaters, libraries, gyms, and a health spa. It will support 24 integrated habitation modules and have functional showers and toilets.

Tom Spilker, OACs chief technology officer and VP of engineering and space systems design, said:

We dont want the Voyager experience to be like being in an attack submarine in combat, so were [building] for comfort. Its a bit smaller than the length of the U.S. Capitol building.

Despite the seemingly endless list of luxury amenities, there will also be airlocks for visitors. So anyone who can afford a space hotel can go on a private spacewalk, where the only thing between you and the universe is a faceplate.

The first phase of construction will be a small-scale prototype station and a free-flying microgravity facility to test the concept. When its time to assemble the actual Voyager Station, OAC will employ a Structure Truss Assembly Robot (STAR) to fabricate the frame in orbit. The company is developing a robotic observation drone for remote monitoring via a virtual reality headset.

Alatorre said:

Its going to be our eyes on the job site. The observer drone operates in a support function. It can perch on existing craft. It can also be fully reusable and can fly and have a free-flight mode on extended missions.

OAC envisions there being Voyager modules for government and private companies to conduct lunar training missions and beyond. The station would also serve as a launchpad from where entrepreneurs can base their space on tourist activities.

Originally posted here:
Space Hotel With Artificial Gravity To Be Operational By 2027 - Intelligent Living