A new startup, GRU Space, has announced plans to build habitable structures on the Moon, including a luxury hotel. The design is inspired by San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts. Prospective space tourists can now reserve a hotel room by placing deposits ranging from $250,000 to $1 million. The missions are planned for launch in six years.
GRU Space, founded by UC Berkeley graduate Skyler Chan and backed by Y Combinator, aims to create a new space tourism sector. While current lunar missions are dominated by governments and major companies, Chan believes that tourism will be key to sustainable off-world development.
“SpaceX is building the FedEx to get us there, but we need a destination worth staying in,” Chan said. “A hotel room on the Moon is the first step toward permanent human habitation.”
Despite a small team, GRU Space has laid out an ambitious technical plan. A demonstration mission is scheduled for 2029. It will send a 10-kilogram payload to the lunar surface to test inflatable structures and methods for converting lunar regolith into “Moon bricks.”
Following this, a larger mission will focus on a lunar pit to test scalable resource development. By 2032, GRU Space aims to launch its first inflatable hotel, offering a hotel room for four guests. The company plans to use local lunar materials to build permanent structures, addressing challenges like radiation protection and life support systems.
The hotel room initiative is part of a broader plan to establish architectural landmarks on the Moon. Chan emphasized that creating desirable destinations is essential for the future space economy.
GRU Space will also participate in Y Combinator’s accelerator program this year to refine its technology and business model. This initiative marks a significant step toward commercial lunar tourism, with hotel rooms on the Moon set to become a reality within a decade.
In other news read more about: SpaceX Expands Starlink Network with Latest Launch
