For the ultimate escape, a new venture is looking beyond the horizon—literally. A luxury resort among the stars is moving from science fiction to a concrete business plan, with the first guests slated to arrive within a decade.
The Vision: A Five-Star Base on the Moon
Galactic Resources Utilization (GRU) Space, a US startup, has announced audacious plans to construct the first commercial hotel on the lunar surface. The company aims to have the inflatable structure ready to receive its inaugural visitors by 2032. Prospective space tourists are already being asked to secure a five-night stay with a staggering £750,000 deposit, with the total cost expected to exceed £7.5 million.
The founder, 21-year-old Skler Chen, a recent graduate of Berkeley in California, believes this project is the first critical step towards a permanent human presence beyond Earth. "Humanity's transition to a space-faring species is not a question of if, but when," Chen stated. He argues that publicly-funded agencies like NASA are too cautious, leaving the long-term vision to private enterprise.
Backing and Blueprint: From Inflatable Module to Lunar City
The venture has secured significant backing, with investors from Elon Musk's SpaceX and computing behemoth Nvidia on board. The initial plan involves constructing a compact, inflatable habitat on Earth before transporting it to the Moon via a SpaceX launch vehicle.
The first module will accommodate just four guests, offering them unparalleled views of the stars and Earth. It will be a self-contained life-support system, equipped with:
- Advanced air and oxygen recycling systems.
- Comprehensive water recycling and temperature control.
- A radiation shelter for protection during solar storms.
- An emergency escape system.
Designed for a 10-year operational life, the hotel promises unique guest experiences, including moonwalks, rover driving, and even rounds of low-gravity golf—a nod to the only 12 humans who have ever walked on the lunar surface.
The Grand Ambition: Colonising the Solar System
For GRU Space, the initial hotel is merely a proof of concept. Chen envisions subsequent structures being far larger, housing up to ten guests, and built using local materials like bricks and concrete fabricated from lunar regolith. The ultimate goal is nothing short of establishing permanent human colonies on the Moon and, eventually, Mars.
"The next trillion-dollar company isn't building an AI agent," Chen proclaimed. "It's building the first cities on the Moon and Mars, enabling billions of human lives to be born... The company that harnesses the full energy and resource potential of the solar system will become the most valuable company in human history."
This bold private-sector announcement comes just weeks before NASA's planned return of crewed missions to the Moon, which also includes ambitions for a sustained lunar base. The race to establish a lasting human footprint on our celestial neighbour is now heating up, with both governmental and commercial players vying for a place in history.
