Space Hotel to Offer Luxurious Tourism Experience as of 2025

Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson wears his astronaut's wings at a news conference, after flying with a crew in Virgin Galactic's passenger rocket plane VSS Unity to the edge of space at
Spaceport America near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, US, July 11, 2021. REUTERS/Joe Skipper
Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson wears his astronaut's wings at a news conference, after flying with a crew in Virgin Galactic's passenger rocket plane VSS Unity to the edge of space at Spaceport America near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, US, July 11, 2021. REUTERS/Joe Skipper
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Space Hotel to Offer Luxurious Tourism Experience as of 2025

Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson wears his astronaut's wings at a news conference, after flying with a crew in Virgin Galactic's passenger rocket plane VSS Unity to the edge of space at
Spaceport America near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, US, July 11, 2021. REUTERS/Joe Skipper
Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson wears his astronaut's wings at a news conference, after flying with a crew in Virgin Galactic's passenger rocket plane VSS Unity to the edge of space at Spaceport America near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, US, July 11, 2021. REUTERS/Joe Skipper

Plans for a new space hotel - set to open in 2025 - have been unveiled showing the plush interior with stunning views of the galaxy, according to The Mirror.

Orbital Assembly, a US-based space company, has unveiled its concept for the hotel that includes several modules connected by left shafts to make up a rotating wheel as it orbits Earth. The company hopes to launch two space stations: Voyager Station and Pioneer Station.

Pioneer Station could be made operational in just three years and can house up to 28 people. Voyager Station, which is set to open in 2027, will be made to accommodate up to 400 people at one time. The company's goal is to run a space “business park” home for offices but will also hold tourists.

The step comes as space tourism seems to truly be on the horizon. Recently, Virgin founder Richard Branson went into space as well as Star Trek actor William Shatner. However, space travel has always been seen as inaccessible to everyone apart from the wealthy.

Tim Alatorre, Orbital Assembly's CEO, told CNN Travel: “It's going to get us the opportunity to have people start to experience space on a larger scale, faster.”

The office and research spaces will be up for rent on both stations. Despite being in space, there will be what Alatorre calls the ‘comforts’ of artificial gravity, which include shows and being able to have a meal while sitting down.



Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

 Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
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Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

 Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)

Tests results released Friday showed the water quality in the River Seine was slightly below the standards needed to authorize swimming — just as the Paris Olympics start.

Heavy rain during the opening ceremony revived concerns over whether the long-polluted waterway will be clean enough to host swimming competitions, since water quality is deeply linked with the weather in the French capital.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a highly publicized dip last week in a bid to ease fears. The Seine will be used for marathon swimming and triathlon.

Daily water quality tests measure levels of fecal bacteria known as E. coli.

Tests by monitoring group Eau de Paris show that at the Bras Marie, E. coli levels were then above the safe limit of 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters determined by European rules on June 17, when the mayor took a dip.

The site reached a value of 985 on the day the mayor swam with Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet and the top government official for the Paris region, Marc Guillaume, joined her, along with swimmers from local swimming clubs.

At two other measuring points further downstream, the results were below the threshold.

The statement by Paris City Hall and the prefecture of the Paris region noted that water quality last week was in line with European rules six days out of seven on the site which is to host the Olympic swimming competitions.

It noted that "the flow of the Seine is highly unstable due to regular rainfall episodes and remains more than twice the usual flow in summer," explaining fluctuating test results.

Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over a century. Since 2015, organizers have invested $1.5 billion to prepare the Seine for the Olympics and to ensure Parisians have a cleaner river after the Games. The plan included constructing a giant underground water storage basin in central Paris, renovating sewer infrastructure, and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.