Jeff Bezos‘ Blue Origin is looking to go from rocketing civilians into space to putting them up for an extended stay there.
The company is one of the partners of the Orbital Reef project, a “commercially developed, owned, and operated space station to be built in low Earth orbit.”
Kind of like a WeWork office in space, the ambitious project would not only host scientific experiments and companies looking to manufacture products in the spacious space station, but it will open the door — er, airlock — for space tourism.
A release about the venture from partners Blue Origin and Sierra Space notes, “Now anyone can lease access to the space environment — weightlessness and hard vacuum — and experience breathtaking views of our home planet, with 32 vibrant sunrises and sunsets each day.”
The announcement adds, “Whether your business is scientific research, exploration system development, invention and manufacture of new and unique products, media and advertising, or exotic hospitality, you’ll find a berth here.”
If that’s not enticing enough, the companies promise “[w]orld-class technical accommodations [and] futuristic space architecture with services and amenities that are inspiring.”
It’s probably a pretty safe bet you’ll get your Amazon packages there, too.
Orbital Reef is expected to be operational in the second half of the decade.