UPDATES FROM SPACE

Every few years or so, companies launch space hotel concepts. So where are they now?

AxStation

The ambitious, ultra-luxe space hotel is hoping to launch its first segment by early 2024. At US$2 billion, AxStation is certainly a grand project. And understandably so: its aim is not simply to be an exclusive hotel but to also serve as a new space station.

Designed by French design maverick Philippe Starck, look forward to a hotel that is futuristic but still incredibly classy. The underlying principle behind it is, according to Axiom Space, multi-directional freedom.

Voyager Station

In 2019, we knew Voyager Station as Von Braun Station, named after Wernher von Braun, one of the pioneers of space technology. The project has been ambitious since its inception, comprising 24 individual modules and housing about 400.

And though the name has changed, and the launch date has been pushed back from 2025 to 2027, some things have stayed the same. Namely, the main plan for the different modules: private residences, rental units for government research and of course, a luxury hotel.

And here’s what Voyager Station will actually look like. The overall aesthetic is the exact opposite of clinical and sterile as in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. With warm suites and gourmet eateries, you get to enjoy Earth’s luxuries against the space backdrop.