Forget about five-star hotels. The first hotel on the Moon is set to open in 2032.
In its boldest move yet, Silicon Valley startup GRU Space has announced an inflatable lunar resort expected to host up to four guests for multi-day stays. Booking is now available with a deposit of US$1 million.
Through three carefully planned missions starting in 2029, the project will systematically establish the infrastructure needed for permanent lunar hospitality, according to the companys white paper released in January 2026.
Mission I in 2029 places a small payload on the lunar surface to test inflatable structures and construction using Moon dirt. Mission II in 2031 lands a much larger payload near a lunar pit, which provides natural protection from radiation and extreme temperatures. Inside the pit, theyll deploy a bigger inflatable structure and test larger construction systems. Mission III in 2032 delivers the actual hotel, built on Earth and transported by heavy lander like SpaceXs Starship or Blue Origins Blue Moon.
The hotel will accommodate four guests for multi-day stays and is designed to last 10 years. It includes full life support systems with oxygen generation, water recycling, and temperature control, plus emergency evacuation and a solar flare shelter. Guests can walk on the surface, drive rovers, and take in views of Earth and the lunar landscape.
The business plan is direct: make space tourism pay for lunar infrastructure. Its Whitepaper states that with current SpaceX pricing of $100,000 per kilogram to the lunar surface, the company estimates it can break even with just three guest flights per year.
Later missions will use local materials instead of shipping everything from Earth. Lunar regolith can be mixed with activator chemicals to make geopolymer concrete. This uses 100 times less energy than melting Moon dirt, the white paper explains. The version 2 hotel will hold ten guests instead of four and last 20 years by combining inflatables with regolith construction.
Using inflatables solve a basic problem, according to the company. Rigid structures are limited by rocket size and lander doors. Inflatables pack small but expand large once deployed. You get much more living space for each kilogram launched. Bigelow Aerospaces BEAM module has been on the International Space Station since 2016, proving the technology works. GRU Space is using the same approach to give lunar guests actual room to move around.
All image courtesy of GRU Space
