How the first hotel on the Moon could work

The plan unfolds in stages, starting with small scale technology tests on the lunar surface. The first mission would place a pressurized payload on the Moon to study how controlled environments perform and to test early construction methods using local lunar material. These experiments are designed to reduce technical risk before humans ever arrive.

A second mission would target a natural lunar pit or cave, locations valued for shielding against radiation and extreme temperature swings. There, an inflatable habitat would be deployed and further construction trials would take place, laying the groundwork for larger structures.

The first lunar hotel

The headline mission comes in 2032, when GRU Space aims to land and deploy what it calls the first lunar hotel. Built on Earth and delivered by a heavy lander, the inflatable structure would host up to 4 guests at a time for stays lasting several days. The company says the hotel would be designed to operate for about 10 years.

Guests would have views of both the Moon and Earth, along with planned surface activities such as guided Moonwalks, driving excursions and even recreational sports adapted to low gravity. Transportation to and from the Moon would be handled by licensed commercial providers, with GRU Space coordinating surface operations and preparation.

Revenue from high-end tourism, the company says, could fund the same technologies needed for long term settlement, including autonomous construction, pressurized habitats and the use of local resources rather than constant resupply from Earth.

Carriers

GRU Space will not operate its own rockets. Guests will travel on licensed commercial vehicles provided by companies such as SpaceX or Blue Origin. GRU Space will handle mission integration and surface operations, while the carriers provide launch, translunar injection, lunar orbit insertion, descent, and return to Earth.

Flight prices

The estimated cost is based on payload delivery to the lunar surface. For the first hotel (v1), GRU projects $100,000 per kilogram of payload. With a hotel mass of roughly 10 tons, this gives an internal cost of $416,667 per person-night. For the second version (v2) built partially from lunar materials, payload costs drop to $10,000 per kilogram, lowering the internal cost to $83,333 per person-night. These figures assume 3 guest flights per year starting in 2032 and do not include additional costs like training, medical clearance, or commercial launch fees.

Lunar materials

Looking beyond the first hotel, GRU Space plans to expand capacity using construction systems that rely on lunar soil. Future missions would enclose inflatable habitats within structures made from Moon derived materials, increasing capacity from 4 guests to as many as 10 and extending operational life.

As launch costs fall and flights become more frequent, the company believes this approach could support a permanent human presence on the Moon and later be adapted for Mars.

The company notes that its ambitions now align with stated United States space policy. Recent announcements from NASA leadership and the White House emphasize a permanent lunar presence as a stepping stone to Mars, with deadlines set for the end of the decade. Those goals, GRU Space argues, will require commercial surface infrastructure that can serve both government and private customers.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency correspondent took a closer look at how much space journeys cost, what they include, and even how space is becoming a destination for memorials after death.