The First Commercial Space Station for Millionaires Looks Like Something Out of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. All It Lacks Is a ‘Talking’ AI

Its name is Haven-1, and it’s the closest thing to a Hilton hotel in space.

October 13, 2024, 13:01 ET

Miguel Jorge

It’s no secret that the wealthiest people on Earth are focusing their attention on space. For some time, there has been a wave of space tourism projects that, not long ago, were mere fantasy and science fiction. However, the race to conquer the stars is quickly becoming a reality, with Space X’s Polaris Down mission perhaps marking the starting point. What’s next? A small space station for private flights, offering tourists extended stays in space.

Haven-1: a luxury hotel in space. Programmer and entrepreneur Jed McCaleb, who made a fortune in the cryptocurrency and blockchain industries (with a net worth of $2.9 billion), founded Vast in 2021, a company dedicated to developing commercial space stations. Haven-1 is the company’s first and much-anticipated project. If all goes according to plan, it will be the first commercial space station in low Earth orbit, set to launch in 2025 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Promotional images and videos of Haven-1, more akin to a luxury hotel in space than a traditional space station, brings to mind sci-fi films, especially Stanley Kubrick’s iconic 2001: A Space Odyssey. The station features a minimalist design (with former Apple engineers contributing to the project), even incorporating maple wood—an unprecedented material in space exploration. It also boasts an inflatable sleeping system designed to provide comfort in microgravity, enhancing the experience of extended space stays.

Luxury, science, and comfort. A project of this scale can’t rely solely on “luxury in space.” Haven-1 is more than just a high-end hotel in orbit. It will also serve as a platform for advanced scientific research. Vast design director Hillary Coe told Wired that astronauts aboard Haven-1 will have the opportunity to conduct microgravity experiments, including accelerated human cell growth—a potential breakthrough in medicine.

The station also features a panoramic central window, offering astronauts breathtaking views of Earth. This “unparalleled visual experience” seamlessly combines luxury with science. In addition, the patent-pending “sleep system” is about the size of a queen-size bed and should accommodate both side and back sleepers.

Taking the long view. According to McCaleb, the company’s long-term goal is to build much larger space stations with artificial gravity to support human life in space for future colonists. In this sense, Haven-1 serves as a cornerstone—the first step toward the vision of extending humanity beyond Earth.

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The price to pay. While the initial cost of a stay will undoubtedly be high, McCaleb expects prices to decrease over time, making space travel more accessible. However, in the early years, it will remain unaffordable for 99% of people.

Premium design. The promotional images speak for themselves, but only time will tell if they match the reality. Designed with maximum comfort in mind, Haven-1 will allow the crew to adjust temperature and lighting to help maintain their circadian rhythms, which are essential to astronaut health. NASA astronaut Andrew Feustel reportedly collaborated on the design, ensuring the station is both functional and comfortable, allowing crew members to live and work seamlessly during their missions.

The crew. Initially, the crew will consist of “tourists” wealthy enough to afford the trip, or government astronauts conducting experiments that don’t require the use of the International Space Station. Early designs envision a station stocked with enough supplies to support four crew members for up to a month.

And HAL? This luxurious concept inevitably brings to mind the main character of Kubrick’s masterpiece, HAL 9000, the eerily calm AI whose behavior evolved into one of the most iconic characters in science fiction.

Interestingly, while significant resources have been invested in developing AI systems over recent years, creating versions of HAL-like algorithms that might even unsettle Kubrick himself, Haven-1 doesn’t appear to include a built-in AI—at least not yet. Will there be an AI on board to “assist” the millionaires with their daily routines?