The $10 million holiday that’s coming: US start-up plans world’s first Moon hotel by 2032. Here’s how it will work

GRU Space announces designs for "the first hotel on the Moon"

California start-up GRU Space plans to open the first permanent hotel on the Moon by 2032, using lunar soil for construction. Early stays require spaceflight experience and a $1 million deposit, with final costs expected to exceed $10 million per guest.

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A California start-up is promising the ultimate luxury getaway, not on Earth but on the Moon. GRU Space has announced plans to build what it calls the world’s first permanent hotel on the lunar surface, with the goal of welcoming guests as early as 2032. If the project succeeds, it would become the first human-made structure designed for long-term habitation beyond Earth.

A hotel on the Moon

GRU Space, short for Galactic Resource Utilisation, says it has already begun accepting applications from people interested in staying at its Moon hotel. In its early years, only travellers with prior commercial spaceflight experience will be eligible to visit. The company says broader access could follow later.

The proposed hotel will use inflatable living modules manufactured on Earth. These will be combined with an automated system that converts lunar soil into brick-like material. Those bricks would be used to build the outer shell of the structure, reducing the need to launch heavy construction materials from Earth.

Using local lunar resources is seen as critical to making long-term stays on the Moon viable. Transporting materials from Earth is one of the biggest cost and engineering challenges in space exploration.

Who is behind the idea?

GRU Space was founded in 2025 by Skyler Chan, a 22-year-old electrical engineering and computer sciences graduate from the University of California, Berkeley. The Moon hotel project emerged from Y Combinator, a well-known start-up accelerator.

“I’ve been obsessed with space since I was a kid,” Chan said. “I’ve always wanted to become an astronaut, and feel extremely fortunate to be doing my life’s work.”

According to Space.com, Chan has raised funding from investors linked to SpaceX and Anduril, a defence technology company focused on autonomous systems.

“We live during an inflection point where we can actually become interplanetary before we die,” Chan said. “If we succeed, billions of human lives will be born on the Moon and Mars and be able to experience the beauty of lunar and Martian life.”

The company says space tourism could help lay the foundation for a long-term lunar economy.

How much will it cost?

A stay on the Moon will not come cheap.

GRU Space says applicants must put down a $1 million deposit, along with a non-refundable application fee of $1,000, to secure an early reservation. While the final ticket price has not been confirmed, it is expected to exceed $10 million.

Potential guests may also need to submit medical, personal and financial records to prove they are fit for lunar travel, according to News18.

What happens next?

Before construction begins, the company plans to carry out tests on the Moon. According to Gulf News, GRU Space hopes to start these trials in 2029, possibly in partnership with NASA. The initial tests will involve a small inflatable structure to study durability and environmental conditions.

If successful, the company plans to build a larger structure inside a lunar pit, which could offer more stable temperatures and protection from radiation. It will also test technology that turns lunar dust into bricks for shielding.

By 2032, GRU Space aims to deploy its first operational Moon hotel. The initial version is expected to host four guests, with plans to expand capacity over time. The company envisions a boutique experience with views unlike anything available on Earth, marking a bold step toward human life beyond our planet.