Mega-rich space tourists to receive exclusive orbiting hotel

by Steven Mostyn - Sep 30 2010, 14:48

After spending millions of dollars to become space tourists, either as guests of NASA aboard the International Space Station or aboard a commercial space venture, it comes as no surprise to learn that the world's richest few will soon have access to their very own orbiting space hotel.

Specifically, Moscow-based company Orbital Technologies has this week revealed plans to create and launch a multi-module orbiting hotel that will be serviced by Soyuz spacecraft. The company hopes to launch its first guest module within the next five to six years.

Speaking with Russian news agency RIA Novosti, Orbital Technologies chief executive Sergei Kostenko revealed that the hotel's first section will be approximately 20 cubic metres in size, consisting of four separate cabins for the comfort of up to seven paying guests.

In describing the "Commercial Space Station," Kostenko insisted the orbiting facilities features and interior will be far removed from the strictly functional surroundings enjoyed by the science crew aboard the International Space Station.

"Our planned module inside will not remind you of the ISS," he commented in an AFP report. "A hotel should be comfortable inside, and it will be possible to look at the Earth through large portholes."

Set to be built in conjunction with Russian space contractor RSC Energia (which presently creates Soyuz vehicles), Kostenko was also keen to stress that the ambitious hotel project has already gained "hundreds of millions of dollars" in financial support through unnamed Russian and American investors.

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