A 22-year-old wants to build the world’s first moon hotel by 2032—at $416,667 a night
Inspired by GRU from Minions and NASA, this 22-year-old is set to execute a dream
When Neil Armstrong first set foot on the moon, scientists and researchers recognized the significant potential for expanding this project. Over the years, theories about life on the moon have been floating around. The Galactic Resource Utilization Space (GRU Space) is in the works to build the very first hotel on the moon. The 360-view of their plan on their website is enough to capture the unfathomable dream they plan to execute by 2032. The San Francisco-based startup announced the news in a statement on January 12, reported the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Potential customers are asked to keep aside a $1 million deposit if they wish to make the stay, if and when the plan succeeds.
GRU Space was founded by 22-year-old Berkley engineer Skyler Chan, a post from @gru.space revealed. With experience as an air pilot and having worked with Tesla and partially with NASA, he dared to dream what seemed impossible — a hotel on the moon. Chan is pretty confident of his plan and is already asking potential customers to keep aside $1 million for their stay. A night at this lodging is likely to cost $416,667. While there is undoubtedly much research and studying underway, the first Lunar systems test is planned for 2029. This will aim to test the environmental conditions and understand the setup and potential with materials and other factors.
In 2031, mission 2 — setting up a lunar cave base to protect from extreme temperatures is set to unfold. Once all of the prerequisites are checked, the hotel installation will commence. The hotel will initially be built on Earth, after which an inflatable structure will help it float on the surface of the moon. So far, the plan for the first installation is for 10 years, and with time, a more futuristic approach is expected. A second iteration of the hotel, inspired by the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, constructed in a Greco-Roman architectural style, is expected to last 20 years.
Speaking of his work, Chan has always been invested in astronomy. "I’ve been obsessed with space since I was a kid, I’ve always wanted to become an astronaut, and feel extremely fortunate to be doing my life’s work," he remarked. He added that human life needs to become interplanetary before “we die.” “If we succeed, billions of human lives will be born on the moon and Mars and be able to experience the beauty of lunar and martian life,” he mentioned. According to My Modern Met, the first hotel will initially hold up to four guests for multi-day stays, and the capacity is expected to eventually increase.
Reservations are reportedly being taken with a $1,000 fee along with refundable deposits, according to KTLA. Speaking of architecture, the hotel will have protective material to endure and keep away from extreme temperatures. There will also be warm, human-scaled interiors with views of the Earth and the exteriors. Still sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? Wonder what scientists say about life on the moon? A study from the University of Rochester revealed that the surface of the moon has been harboring particles from Earth’s atmosphere for billions of years. Our planet’s magnetic field has been aiding in transporting these particles over time.
Scientists believe that there are life-sustaining elements to these particles that need to be studied in depth. This finding in itself is a boon to further exploration in understanding life on the moon for human beings. NASA is planning another mission — “Artemis” to understand the moon in terms of scientific developments and for human living. In recent updates, it was revealed that NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, entered quarantine earlier this month ahead of their mission to the moon. As for GRU Space, quite literally inspired by the character “GRU” from Minions, and NASA, a post captured a trailer of a sort, leaving many minds amazed and intrigued with what’s to follow.
You can follow GRU Space (@gru.space) and Skyler Chan (@skylerflys) for more updates on the project.
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